Women's Basketball

February 18, 2009

Women's Basketball Suffers 63-53 Setback To Le Moyne


PURPLE KNIGHTS DROP NE-10 BASKETBALL DOUBLEHEADER TO LE MOYNE

SMC women suffer 63-53 setback to Dolphins; SMC men outscored by Le Moyne, 86-65

Women's box score: http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2008-09/stats/wlemstm.htm

Men's box score: http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/stats/mlemstm.htm

COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College was swept by Le Moyne College in a Northeast-10 Conference basketball doubleheader on Wednesday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Saint Michael's women (12-12, 9-11 NE-10) suffered a 63-53 loss to the Dolphins, and in the nightcap, the Saint Michael's men (8-15, 5-15 NE-10) dropped an 86-65 decision to Le Moyne.

In the women's contest, Le Moyne (15-11, 12-9 NE-10) made eight of its first nine shots from the field in the second half to erase a halftime deficit and clinch a home playoff contest. For the Dolphins, seniors Katie Dunn (Whippany, N.J.) and Vanessa Holden (Suffern, N.Y.) had a game-high 16 points apiece. Dunn ? the sister of former Saint Michael's women's basketball player Allison Dunn '08 ? made 4-of-8 3-pointers in the win, while Holden added seven rebounds and two steals. Junior Courtney Coryea (Mooers Forks, N.Y.) recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocks as Le Moyne shot 54 percent from the field in the second half.

For the Purple Knights, senior Anna Florent (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) had a team-high 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench, making 5-of-7 shots from the field. Junior Michelle Otey (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) had 11 points and a team-best six rebounds for Saint Michael's, which shot just 31 percent from the field in the contest.

Neither team could get on track offensively in the first half. Saint Michael's held a 20-19 lead at the break, as the Purple Knights forced 13 Le Moyne turnovers in the opening period to overcome 29 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes. Otey was the lone bright spot for Saint Michael's in the first half, netting eight points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

Le Moyne, however, caught fire early in the second half, as the Dolphins scored the period's first 10 points in the opening two minutes to take the lead for good at 29-20. Dunn made all four of her 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the period, and Saint Michael's never pulled closer than six points after that, as Le Moyne sealed the win by making 12-of-14 free throws in the second stanza.

In the men's game, Le Moyne (16-10, 12-9 NE-10) never trailed in winning its seventh straight contest. The Dolphins placed four in double figures, led by freshman Christopher Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), who scored 25 points off the bench. He made 10-of-14 shots from the floor, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y.) recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, junior Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Phil Barnes (Georgetown, Cayman Islands) notched 11 points.

For Saint Michael's, freshman Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) had 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Senior Jon Zylstra (Uxbridge, Mass./Whitinsville Christian School) added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while freshman Sam Cieplicki (South Burlington, Vt./New Hampton School) netted three 3-pointers for nine points off the bench.

Le Moyne scored the first nine points of the game to seize control. The Purple Knights pulled to within 11-9 early, and trailed by just eight at halftime, 34-26. The Dolphins, however, took control again early in the second half, scoring 18 of the first 24 points of the period to open up a 20-point lead, 52-32. Le Moyne finished the contest shooting 57 percent from the field, including 65 percent (20-of-31) in the second half, and held a commanding 42-23 rebounding advantage. The lone statistical bright spot for Saint Michael's was that the Purple Knights committed just seven turnovers.

Saint Michael's returns to action on Saturday, as the Purple Knights visit Saint Anselm College in an NE-10 doubleheader (women at 1:30 p.m., men at 3:30 p.m. Saint Michael's closes out the regular season on Monday, as the Purple Knights host Pace University in a league twinbill (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.). Le Moyne closes out its regular season on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State University beginning at 5:30 p.m.

##PURPLEKNIGHTS###