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Record Breaker: Methven’s Triple Keys No. 20 Skyhawks Win
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| Senior Bethany Tighe worked her way to 17 points and 10 rebounds in No. 20 Stonehill's 62-59 win over UMass-Lowell. |
Record Breaker: Methven's Triple Keys No. 20 Skyhawks Win
Lowell, Mass. - Junior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) drained four three-pointers en route to 15 points and No. 20 Stonehill escaped with a down-to-the-wire, 62-59 win over host UMass-Lowell on Tuesday evening at Costello Gymnasium.
Methven's fourth three-pointer was the 188th of her career, setting a new school-record, but more importantly gave the Skyhawks a 60-58 lead moments after the River Hawks had taken their first lead in over 30 minutes.
The win for Stonehill snapped a two-game losing streak and avenged an earlier defeat to UMass-Lowell back on November 25th. It also marked just the second time in the 35-game series history that the Skyhawks have won back-to-back games at Costello Gym.
After leading by as many as 14 in the second half, Stonehill held a 50-39 lead with less than nine minutes left, but the River Hawks embarked on an 11-2 run capped by a Rashala Valentine triple to get to within two at 52-50 at the 5:27 mark.
Stonehill canned four of six from the free throw line over the next three possessions to give the Skyhawks a 56-50 lead. Two free throws and a layup by UMass-Lowell trimmed the Stonehill advantage to two and after Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) split two from the charity stripe, Tamaria Menafee dropped in a long distance three ball to even the score at 57 apiece with 1:37 left.
A Valentine freebie gave the River Hawks their first lead at 58-57 since the 9:09 mark of the first half but Methven's record-setting triple - which was Stonehill's first basket since the 9:51 mark - gave the Skyhawks the lead just 23 seconds later.
Stonehill started the game off slow with eight early turnovers but a personal 9-0 run by Methven erased the deficit and gave the Stonehill an 18-12 lead. The half was pretty much even over the final five minutes and the purple and white went into the locker room with a 31-24 edge.
The game was even on several fronts but the Skyhawks, who shot just 27 percent in the second half, were aided by excellent free throw shooting. The nation's best team from the charity stripe, made their first 14 attempts, 19-of-22 overall, including 15-of-18 in the second half when their shots went cold from the floor.
Joining Methven in double figures for Stonehill were Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine), who had 18 points, a career-high eight rebounds and five assists and Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) who notched her third double-double in the past four games with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Valentine led the hosts with 13 points, four rebounds, five steals and three assists, while Megan Berry drained four three-pointers on her way to 12 points, while Menafee chipped in with 10 points.
Stonehill, now 18-5 overall and 13-5 in Northeast-10 play, remains one-game behind first-place Franklin Pierce in the race for the regular season title and homecourt throughout the upcoming Northeast-10 Tournament. The Skyhawks return to the hardwood on Saturday when they visit Southern Connecticut.
