Purple Knights News

December 20, 2006

Basketball Swept By Saint Rose In NE-10 Doubleheader


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College dropped a Northeast-10 Conference basketball doubleheader to the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Purple Knight women suffered a 75-64 loss to the Golden Knights, and in the nightcap, the Saint Michael's men were bested by Saint Rose, 73-60.

In the women's contest, Saint Rose (9-2, 6-2 NE-10), ranked 22nd in this week's WBCA/USA Today Division II National Coaches Poll, snapped a two-game losing skid. Junior Lauren Revesz (Bridgeville, Pa.) paced the Golden Knights with a game-high 22 points, connecting on 10-of-13 shots from the field. Senior Mary Lewis (Roxbury, Mass.) added 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals as Saint Rose shot 49 percent from the field in the contest, including 55 percent in the second half. Saint Rose also held a 41-35 rebounding advantage to earn the double-digit win.

For Saint Michael's (5-5, 3-5 NE-10), senior Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) tallied a season-high 21 points, hitting 4-of-7 3-point attempts. Rayner also surpassed the 900-point plateau for her career. Junior Allison Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) was the only other Purple Knight to score in double figures, chipping in with 11 points and a team-best five assists. Saint Michael's shot just 34 percent from the floor, including 29 percent in the first half, in falling for the fifth time in its last seven contests.

Saint Rose took the lead for good midway through the first half, as the Golden Knights turned a 15-12 deficit into a 36-22 lead late in the period. The visitors led, 36-25, at intermission, behind 13 first-half points from Revesz. Saint Michael's could pull no closer than nine points after halftime, as Saint Rose stretched its lead to as much as 22 points before holding off the Purple Knights.

In the men's game, Saint Rose (9-2, 7-1 NE-10) used a 32-4 run over a 12- minute stretch of the first half to earn the win in a battle for second place in the conference. Junior Steve Dagostino (Schenectady, N.Y.) led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, while senior Clayton Longmire (Rochester, N.Y.) added 13 points and six rebounds. Junior Will Monica (Great Falls, Va.) chipped in with 12 points as all nine Golden Knights that played tallied at least one field goal and grabbed at least two rebounds.

For Saint Michael's (6-4, 5-3 NE-10), junior James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) netted a team-high 17 points, draining 5-of-9 3-pointers. Classmate Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) added his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a career high-tying 14 rebounds, while senior Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) recorded 13 points and four assists. Senior Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), the league's leading scorer, tallied just eight points, 15 below his season average coming into the contest, but did add five rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Saint Michael's got off to a hot start, leading, 19-10, six minutes into the game. Saint Rose, however, embarked on its 32-4 run to take a 42-23 lead, and held a 13-point advantage, 42-29, at halftime. Much like the first half, however, the Purple Knights opened the second period strong, and evened the score at 44-all five minutes into the stanza. A Monahan lay-up with 11 minutes left gave the Purple Knights their only lead of the second half, 54-52, but the Golden Knights scored the next nine points to take the lead for good, and made 11-of-13 free throws in the second half to seal the victory.

Both Saint Michael's squads return to action on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30. The Purple Knight women visit the University of the Sciences on Dec. 29 for a 4 p.m. contest, and stay in Philadelphia the next day for a 6 p.m. encounter at Holy Family University. The Saint Michael's men, meanwhile, will take part in the Pace University Holiday Classic, as the Purple Knights take on Adelphi University on Dec. 29 and Felician College on Dec. 30, with both games starting at 6 p.m.

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