Purple Knights News

December 13, 2006

Basketball Teams To Close Semester With Pair Of Key NE-10 Contests


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? The Saint Michael's College men's and women's basketball teams close out the fall semester with a pair of contests against two of the finest teams in the Northeast-10 Conference over the next week.

The Purple Knights play their final road games before Christmas on Sunday with an NE-10 doubleheader at Bentley College. The Saint Michael's women (5-3 overall, 3-3 NE-10) will open the twinbill against Bentley (6-3, 4-3 NE-10) at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Saint Michael's men (6-2, 5-1 NE-10) and Bentley (10-0, 7-0 NE-10) at 3:30 p.m.

Saint Michael's then plays its final home games of 2006 on Wednesday, December 20, as the Purple Knights host the College of Saint Rose at the Ross Sports Center, with the women's game tipping at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 7:30 p.m. Both Saint Rose squads are currently 5-1 in NE-10 play, with a league doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State University scheduled for Saturday.

The Saint Michael's men, tied with Saint Rose for second place in the league standings (and one game behind Bentley in the loss column), are off to their best start since the 2000-01 team began 13-0. The Purple Knights are led on the court by senior Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), the leading scorer in the NE-10 at 23 points per game, and junior Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy), the league's leading rebounder at 10.3 boards per contest. Bentley, meanwhile, is ranked fourth in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll, and off to its best start since the 1974-75 season.

The Saint Michael's women are a half-game back of Bentley in the league standings, and tied in the loss column with the Falcons. The Purple Knights, led by senior Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) and her team-high 12.9 points per game, recorded their first two wins versus Bentley in 46 all-time meetings with the Falcons last season. Saint Rose, meanwhile, is currently 8-1 on the season, and ranked 20th in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today Division II Poll.

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