Purple Knights News

November 21, 2006

Basketball Opens NE-10 Play With A Sweep Of UMass Lowell


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College opened Northeast-10 Conference play with a sweep of the University of Massachusetts Lowell in basketball action on Tuesday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Purple Knight women bested the River Hawks, 57-37, and in the nightcap, the Purple Knight men edged UMass Lowell, 78-75.

In the first game, the Saint Michael's women (3-0, 1-0 NE-10) outscored UMass Lowell 35-20 in the second half to remain perfect on the season. Sophomore Anna Florent (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) led a balanced scoring attack with a game-high 12 points, hitting 6-of-9 shots from the field. Senior Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) and juniors Adrienne Carpenter (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett Regional) and Allison Dunn (Wippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) each added eight points as the Purple Knights made 14-of-26 shots in the second half to pull away for the win.

For UMass Lowell (1-1, 0-1 NE-10), sophomore Antonnea Robinson (West Haven, Conn.) had a team-best nine points and seven rebounds. The River Hawks shot just 28 percent from the field in the contest, a game that marked the return of UMass Lowell head coach and former Saint Michael's standout Kathy O'Neil '81.

Saint Michael's led 22-17 after a sloppy first half, a period that featured a combined 30 turnovers. The Purple Knights never trailed in the second half, as Saint Michael's used a 14-0 run early in the second stanza to earn a double-digit lead for good. The Purple Knights took care of the basketball in the second half, committing just four turnovers, in earning their third straight double-digit home win of the year.

In the second contest, the Saint Michael's men (2-1, 1-0 NE-10) made 12-of-22 3-pointers to hold off UMass Lowell. Seniors Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) and Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) led the way with a game-high 22 points apiece, with Cayole adding five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals, and Mullins making 4-of-5 3-pointers. Junior James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) chipped in with 13 points, and classmate Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) had a well-rounded game of 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds and seven assists. The win was the 135th in the 10-year career for head coach Tom O'Shea, moving past Ed Markey '51 for second in program history.

For UMass Lowell (2-2, 0-1 NE-10), juniors Dashon Harper (Columbus, Ohio) and Jerreh Saidybah (Montreal, Quebec) had a team-high 15 points apiece, with Saidybah adding 14 rebounds. Freshmen Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, Ind.) and Chris Donald (Randolph, Mass.) added 11 and 10 points apiece, respectively.

Saint Michael's held a 40-25 lead at the break, as the Purple Knights held UMass Lowell to just 32 percent shooting in the first half. The Purple Knights held that double-digit lead for the majority of the second half, and still led by 12, 77-65, with less than a minute to play. The River Hawks, however, drained three 3-pointers in the waning seconds, but ran out of time in their furious comeback.

Saint Michael's returns to action on Sunday at league-rival Pace University, with the men tipping off at 1:30 p.m., followed by the women at 3:30 p.m. UMass Lowell hosts Bentley College on Sunday, with the women at 2 p.m. and the men at 4 p.m.

##PURPLEKNIGHTS###