NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Saint Michael's College women's basketball team lost to Southern Connecticut State University, 88-63, on Saturday during Northeast 10 Conference play in Moore Fieldhouse. Despite the setback, the Purple Knights clinched a spot in the seven-team NE10 Championship with one regular-season contest remaining. Both squads were among 10 teams listed in this week's initial NCAA Division II East Region rankings.
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RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (13-12, 8-9 NE10), Southern Connecticut State (20-5, 15-2 NE10)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Junior Jayla Tyler (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central/Saint Rose), 17 points, 4 offensive rebounds, 2 steals, 7-for-12 field goals, 2-for-4 three-pointers
- Junior Amber Furch (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood School), 15 points, 5-for-8 field goals, 2-for-3 three-pointers
- Junior Bella Franchi (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central), 8 points, 5 rebounds (3 offensive), 2 steals
- Sophomore Margaret Montplaisir (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth), 8 points, 5 rebounds
- Junior Ruby Santos (New Paltz, N.Y./Kent School), 7 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 steals
- Junior Ashlee Talbot (Dracut, Mass./Dracut), 7 assists (tied career high)
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Senior Rheyna Steinauer, 22 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, 5-for-7 three-pointers
- Senior Ally Sentance, 18 points, 5-for-7 three-pointers
- Senior Hope Fox, 16 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, 5-for-8 field goals
- First-year Tish Blackwood, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 5-for-8 field goals
- Sophomore Taeya Steinauer, 14 points
THE ACTION
- The lead changed hands seven times in the first quarter alone, as the Owls scored six of the final eight points to take a 19-17 edge into the second frame.
- The hosts extended their run to 28-6 by 2:44 of the second frame, leading 41-21 on Blackwood's bucket. Southern Connecticut State shot 6-of-8 from three-point range while outscoring the Purple Knights, 30-10, in the stanza.
- Down by as much as 27 in the third quarter, Saint Michael's used six points from Tyler to jump-start an 11-0 run that made it 54-38 by 6:48, the first of three 16-point deficits for the visitors, but they came no closer.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME
- Tuesday at regionally-ranked Saint Anselm College, 5:30 p.m.