Purple Knights News

February 17, 2007

Basketball Sweeps Pace In Senior Day Doubleheader


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College swept a Northeast-10 Conference basketball doubleheader versus Pace University on Saturday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Purple Knight women upset the Setters, 78-74, and in the nightcap, the Saint Michael's men cruised to a 91-72 victory versus Pace.

In the men's game, Saint Michael's (15-11, 12-9 NE-10) buried 12 first-half 3-pointers and raced out to a 58-35 halftime lead to earn its second straight victory and clinch a home court playoff contest. Four players scored in double figures for the Purple Knights, led by senior Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), who tallied 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists, eclipsing the 1,200-point mark for his career. Classmate Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) added 22 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the final regular-season home game of his career, while junior James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) netted 19 points off the bench. Junior Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) posted 12 points and 16 rebounds as the Purple Knights buried 14-of-35 3-pointers in the contest.

For Pace (18-11, 14-7 NE-10), junior Ryan Williams (Centreville, Va.) notched 20 points. Freshman Lawrence McGhee (Linden, N.J.) added 12 points, and junior Desmond Quincy-Jones (Rye, N.Y.) tallied 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. All 10 players who played for Pace scored, but the Setters shot just 2-of-17 from beyond the arc, ending their six-game winning streak.

Saint Michael's never trailed in the contest, as a Cayole 3-pointer 23 seconds into the game gave the Purple Knights the lead for good. The Purple Knights led by as many as 25 points in the first half, as Sorrentine drained five 3-pointers in the opening period. The closest Pace could get in the second half was 84-70 with four minutes to go, but Saint Michael's made 13-of-15 free throws in the second half to squash any comeback hopes.

In addition to Mullins and Cayole, seniors Ryan Maloney (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee) and Milos Mirkovic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Saint Andrew's School), both of whom started, played in the final regular-season home game of their careers.

In the women's contest, seniors Dani and Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) combined for 31 points and 13 rebounds in the final home game of their collegiate career, helping Saint Michael's (11-14, 8-13 NE-10) snap its six-game losing skid. Dani Rayner finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while Jevy Rayner notched 13 points and a game-high seven boards. Three other Purple Knights netted nine points apiece: junior Adrienne Carpenter (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett Regional) and freshmen Meg O'Shea (West Sand Lake, N.Y./Averill Park) and Michelle Otey (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional). O'Shea added a game-best seven assists and three steals as Saint Michael's shot 52 percent from the field in the contest, draining 7-of-17 3-pointers in the contest.

For Pace (19-7, 14-7 NE-10), senior Ashley Wallace (Oswego, N.Y.) had a game-high 19 points. Classmate Liran Buchris (Massad, Israel) added 15 points and four assists, freshman Taylor Losey (Bristol, Conn.) netted 14 points off the bench, and junior Stephanie Klingele (Staten Island, N.Y.) tallied 11 points. Pace's five-game winning streak came to an end, as the Setters shot just 42 percent in the contest.

Saint Michael's led by four at halftime, 41-37, and never trailed in the second half. Saint Michael's held a game-high 10-point lead, 69-59, with seven minutes to go, but the Setters pulled to within 75-74 on two Wallace free throws with 39 seconds remaining. However, a Jevy Rayner jumper, assisted by her sister, with 14 seconds left gave the Purple Knights a 77-74 lead, and Buchris missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds to go, with Dani Rayner grabbing the rebound and sealing the win with a free throw with one second remaining.

In addition to the Rayners, senior Laura Grzewinski (Ashby, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) started and played the final home game of her career.

Saint Michael's plays its regular-season finale on Tuesday, as the Purple Knights visit Franklin Pierce College in an NE-10 doubleheader (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.). Pace closes its regular season on Tuesday with a home doubleheader versus American International College (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.).

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