Purple Knights News

January 11, 2007

SMC Men, Assumption Women Win NE-10 Basketball Doubleheader


PURPLE KNIGHTS SPLIT NORTHEAST-10 DOUBLEHEADER WITH ASSUMPTION

Monahan lifts SMC men over Greyhounds, 87-76; Assumption women rally past SMC, 57-52

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION

January 11, 2007 Contact: Seth Cole

Phone: (802) 654-2537


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College and Assumption College split a doubleheader in Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Thursday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Purple Knight women dropped a 57-52 decision to the Greyhounds, and in the nightcap, the Saint Michael's men earned an 87-76 victory versus Assumption.

In the men's game, junior Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) finished with 24 rebounds, 10 more than his previous career best and just five away from the program record set in the 1950s, along with 21 points and a game-high seven assists, to lift Saint Michael's (11-5, 8-3 NE-10) to its fourth straight victory. Saint Michael's also matches the most wins in a season since the Purple Knights' 27-4 campaign of 2000-01. Classmate James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) netted a game-high 25 points, connecting on 6-of-9 3-pointers, while senior Brendan Mullins (Downers grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) added 19 points, and like Sorrentine also shot 7-of-10 from the field. Sophomore Chris White (Windham, N.H./Salem) tallied a career-high 12 points off the bench, his second straight game with a career best in scoring, as the Purple Knights drained 11-of-21 3-pointers, overcoming 18 turnovers and 12-of-25 free throw shooting.

For Assumption (7-9, 5-6 NE-10), junior Greg Twomey (Groton, Mass.) led four Greyhounds in double figures with 21 points and six rebounds. Freshman Courtland Bluford (Fort Washington, Md.) added 18 points, junior Leroy Byron (Worcester, Mass.) netted 15 points, and sophomore Patrick Shea (Salem, Mass.) recorded 13 points as Assumption shot just 38 percent from the field.

Saint Michael's trailed just once in the game, 6-5, early in the contest. The Purple Knights then went on a 13-4 run to seize the lead for good. Saint Michael's led 46-39 at halftime, as Monahan had 10 points and 12 boards in the opening period. The Purple Knights slowly pulled away in the second half, and led by a game-high 17 points, 73-56, with 8:27 remaining. Assumption pulled to within nine, 78-69, with 3:38 to go, but a Sorrentine 3-pointer 30 seconds later restored the Purple Knights' double-digit lead for good.

In the women's contest, Assumption (7-8, 5-6 NE-10) outscored the Purple Knights 37-13 in the final 14 minutes of the contest to erase a 19-point deficit and earn the victory. Sophomore Beth Plasski (Fall River, Mass.) led the Greyhounds with a game-high 23 points, 17 of which came in the second half, as she made three 3-pointers after halftime to rally the visitors. Junior Britt Bishop (Mendon, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points as Assumption committed just 11 turnovers in the game, offsetting 34 percent shooting from the floor.

For Saint Michael's (7-8, 4-7 NE-10), senior Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) and junior Allison Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) had a team-high 11 points apiece. Senior Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds apiece for the Purple Knights, which was undone by 21 turnovers, including 15 after halftime.

Saint Michael's used stifling defense to open up a 29-17 halftime advantage. The lead ballooned to 39-20 with 14 minutes remaining on a Jevy Rayner 3-pointer, but the Purple Knights unraveled from there, committing 13 turnovers. A pair of Plasski free throws capped a 22-2 run and gave Assumption its first lead of the second half, 42-41, with 6:30 remaining. A Dani Rayner free throw with 5:45 to go evened the score for the last time at 42-all, as the Greyhounds led by as many as eight points in the waning minutes to pull off the win.

Saint Michael's returns to action on Saturday with an NE-10 doubleheader at Saint Anselm College (women at 1:30 p.m., men at 3:30 p.m.). The Purple Knights return home to host league-rival Merrimack College on Wednesday (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.). Assumption's next games are at home on Wednesday versus the University of Massachusetts Lowell (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.).

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