NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Saint Michael's College women's basketball team trimmed a 14-point, late-second-half deficit to five points in the final minute on Wednesday, ultimately falling to Northeast-10 Conference heavyweight Southern Connecticut State University, 60-55, in Moore Fieldhouse.

The Purple Knights, who have suffered five losses by six points or less, are now 6-8 overall and 3-7 in the NE-10. The Owls, who entered the evening tied for second in the league, are 11-3 and 8-2 on the strength of nine straight wins. The Purple and Gold matched the hosts' narrowest margin of victory during their current run.

Senior Coreen Hennessy (Chatham, N.H./Fryeburg Academy) led Saint Michael's with 16 points, shooting 7-of-13, while classmate Caitlin Quinn (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) netted 12 points thanks to hitting three three-pointers. Junior Nicole Adach (Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds and notched three steals, and sophomore Cara Deroy (Hamden, Conn./Hamden) had a career-best seven assists. Freshman Morgan Jenkins (Revere, Mass./Revere), who entered the game with eight points in five contests this winter, notched nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Purple Knights went 6-of-13 from three-point range.

Southern Connecticut State was lifted by an 11-of-22 showing from beyond the arc, overcoming 3-of-8 free throw shooting. Senior Alex Fiola (Fall River, Mass./B.M.C. Durfee) had 18 points, hitting five threes, junior Camille Fantini (Andover, Mass./Andover) added 11 points and four steals, and sophomore Moni Smith-Ocran (Bronx, N.Y./Dewitt Clinton) recorded 13 rebounds.

The Purple Knights trailed 36-25 less than five minutes into the second half before Quinn scored six points in a 10-3 run, canning a three-pointer to produce a 39-35 deficit at 12:08. Southern Connecticut State netted the next seven points and ultimately forged ahead by a 52-38 count at 4:40. Hennessy scored seven points during a 10-3 counter that brought Saint Michael's within 55-48, and a pair of Deroy freebies made it 58-53 with 21 seconds left. However, the Owls added two free throws of their own, and a Jenkins hoop at seven ticks produced the final margin.

The teams went through four lead changes in the opening 4:04 of the game before the Owls netted nine straight points to grab a 15-7 advantage. With the Purple Knights trailing by a 22-11 count and a little less than 10:30 remaining in the opening half, Deroy played a role in three straight hoops during a 6-0 run, scoring a bucket and dishing off on the final two to create a 22-17 margin at 8:33. Southern Connecticut State used an 8-1 run to grab a 30-18 lead, but the visitors finished the half on a 7-2 run of their own. Jenkins' three-point play with 54 seconds to go capped the stretch, providing a 32-25 score at the half.