NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The eighth-seeded Saint Michael's College women's basketball team lost in their NCAA Tournament debut on Friday to top-seeded Southern Connecticut State University, 56-49, during an NCAA East Regional Championship quarterfinal in Moore Field House. The Owls received votes toward the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national poll, while the Purple Knights neared just the third 8/1 upset in East Regional history.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (15-14), Southern Connecticut State (25-5)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Junior Ruby Santos (New Paltz, N.Y./Kent School), 13 points, 3 steals, 3-for-7 three-pointers
• Junior Jayla Tyler (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central/Saint Rose), 10 points
• Junior Amber Furch (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood School), 9 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
• Junior Bella Franchi (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central), 7 points, 6 rebounds
• Junior Ashlee Talbot (Dracut, Mass./Dracut), 4 points, 3 steals
• Sophomore Margaret Montplaisir (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth), 4 points, 3 steals

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Hope Fox, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 6-for-7 free throws
• Senior Rheyna Steinauer, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
• First-year Tish Blackwood, 9 points, 10 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists, 2 blocks
• Sophomore Taeya Steinauer, 9 points, 4 steals

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights had won five of their last seven games.
• The teams met in the postseason for the first time.
• The Owls won the season series, 3-1, but two of their wins came by single digits.
• Saint Michael's lost for only the second time when allowing 58 points or less this season.
• The Purple and Gold forced Southern Connecticut State into a season-high 23 turnovers, while the Owls narrowly trimmed their season low in points at home (54).
• Saint Michael's shot a perfect 13-for-13 on free throws.

THE ACTION

• Santos buried a three with 17 seconds gone before the Steinauers combined for every point in a 7-0 response. Graduate student Jillian Martin's triple pushed the Owls' lead to 10-5 by 5:24 of the opening quarter, but the hosts led by no more than five points in the stanza.
• Rheyna Steinauer's lay-in 44 seconds into the second frame pushed the lead to 18-11, and her basket at the four-minute mark extended the hosts' advantage to 22-14.
• Only 1:21 later, three straight Tyler lay-ins in a matter of 67 seconds cut the deficit to two points. The Purple Knights headed into halftime down just 24-22.
• Franchi drew her team level on a jumper from the free throw line at 6:49 of the third period (26-26) before the Owls scored the next five points.
• Saint Michael's ended the quarter on a 13-4 run, as Santos buried a pair of threes in the final 1:29 to give her team a 39-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
• Rheyna Steinauer's trey 1:03 into the final frame put her team up 40-39 and accounted for the first of five lead swings in 4:03, with Fox's driving lay-up and free throw giving the Owls the lead for good at 45-43 with 4:54 left.
• Santos' bucket with 2:23 left had Saint Michael's within 46-45, but Martin's putback on the next possession pushed the lead to three.
• The Purple Knights missed their next three shots, while the Owls shot 6-of-6 on free throws to create a 54-45 margin with 48 seconds to go.
• Montplaisir's steal and fastbreak hoop at 12 seconds cut the deficit to six, but the Purple and Gold came no closer.