PURPLE KNIGHTS EARN DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT
O'Shea wins program-record 160th in men's
81-73 victory; women rally for 78-69 triumph
Box score: http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2008-09/stats/wbscsstm.htm
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College recorded a
doubleheader sweep of Southern Connecticut State University in
Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Wednesday at the Ross
Sports Center. In the open, the Saint Michael's women (2-0, 1-0
NE-10) rallied for a 78-69 victory, and in the nightcap, the Saint
Michael's men (3-0, 1-0 NE-10) held off the Owls, 81-73
In the women's contest, Saint Michael's rallied from a
double-digit deficit for the second straight game to win a
high-scoring contest. For the Purple Knights, junior Alexis
Keller (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) added 16 points,
five rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Meghan
McCormack (Barrie, Ontario/Saint Peter's Secondary School)
came off the bench to score 15 points, including 12 in the first
half, and grab eight rebounds. Junior Michelle Otey
(Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) tallied 13 points
and six rebounds as Saint Michael's shot 48 percent from the field
in the contest, including 57 percent in the first half, and
outrebounded the Owls 43-31.
For SCSU (1-1, 0-1 NE-10), freshman Sarah Schicher
(Vienna, Austria) had a game-high 22 points on 9-of-12
shooting from the field, and added four blocks. Classmate
Lauren Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) added 12
points and six rebounds, while junior Allyson Smith (East
Hampton, Conn.) recorded 11 points off the bench.
Saint Michael's trailed 19-6 six-and-a-half minutes into the
game, but closed the half on a 38-17 run to take a 44-36 lead at
the break. The Owls would rally, however, and led 65-62 with less
than four minutes to go. A Keller 3-pointer with 3:47 remaining
tied the game at 65-all, and Saint Michael's never trailed after
that in earning the comeback victory.
In the men's game, head coach Tom O'Shea earned
his program-record 160th career victory as Saint Michael's raced
out to a big lead and held off the Owls. Six players scored in
double figures in a balanced scoring attack for the Purple Knights,
led by sophomore Chris Hurley (Watertown, Mass./Boston
College HS), who netted a career-high 20 points off the
bench. Freshman Alex Berthiaume (Springfield,
Mass./Cathedral) added a season-best 16 points, while
fellow first-years Qua'ron Pinckney (Bronx, N.Y./Saint
Benedict's Prep) and Tyler Schilling (Excelsior,
Minn./Minnetonka) added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Senior Jon Zylstra (Uxbridge, Mass./Whitinsville Christian
School) and sophomore Nate Birr (Burnsville,
Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) each recorded 10 points for
the winner.
For SCSU (0-3, 0-1 NE-10), senior Preston Bell
(Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Kieran Ramsey (North
Hollywood, Calif.) each scored 16 points. Freshman
Chris Harris (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 13 points off
the bench for the Owls, while junior John Mazzarella (Wallingford,
Conn.) had a game-high 15 rebounds.
Saint Michael's used red-hot shooting to race out to a 55-42
halftime lead, as the Purple Knights made their first six 3-point
attempts and went 8-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Owls did cut the deficit to 59-53 with 13 minutes left in the
contest, but five straight Purple Knights' points restored the
double-digit lead, a margin Saint Michael's would keep for the
majority of the contest.
Saint Michael's returns to action on Saturday, as the Purple
Knights visit league-rival American International College for a
conference doubleheader (women at 1:30 p.m., men at 3:30 p.m.).
Saint Michael's next home contests are on Tuesday, a league
twinbill with Assumption College (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30
p.m.).
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