Explosive second half sends Stonehill women’s basketball past Saint Rose

NORTH EASTON, MA –The College of Saint Rose held host Stonehill to 33.3 percent (10-for-30) shooting to jump out to a 33-27 halftime lead, but went cold from the field itself throughout the final 20 minutes that allowed the host Skyhawks to chalk up a 67-54 Northeast-10 Conference win this afternoon.

The Golden Knights (11-9/6-8 NE10) could only convert 27.6 percent (8-for-29) of their field goal attempts in the second half and were outscored 18-6 from the foul line for the game.

Senior guard Taylor Nazon (Chicago, IL/Trinity) tossed in 15 points while senior forward Staci Barrett (Elmont, NY/Long Island Lutheran) and sophomore forwardKarissa Birthwright (Rochester, NY/Odyssey Academy) finished with eight apiece. Junior guard Morgan Sullivan (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) added seven and sophomore forward Zoe McDonald (Romulus, NY/Romulus) hauled in a career-high nine rebounds.

For Stonehill (9-9/8-6 NE10), junior forward Samantha Hyslip (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and freshman guard Kelsey Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) both recorded “double-doubles”. The former had 10 points and 15 rebounds, while Shaw wound up 10 points and like number of caroms. Junior guard Courtney Walsh(Windham, NH/Central Catholic) went 5-for-9 from the arc on the way to a game-high 21 points.

Looking ahead, both squads have road dates Wednesday. Saint Rose travels to Syracuse to take on Upstate Challenge rival Le Moyne at 5:00 pm. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks head to Waltham, MA to face Bentley at 5:30 pm.