Manchester, N.H. (December 19) -- Led by
Rachel Reilly's (Londonderry, N.H.) 17 points, the
women's basketball team defeated Dominican College in
non-conference action Wednesday afternoon at Stoutenburgh
Gymnasium, 59-51. The win improves the Hawks to 3-5 overall, while
Dominican drops just their second game of the season to lower their
record to 5-2.
The Hawks jumped out to an early 12-6 lead thanks mainly to
Cassaundra Thorpe's (Portsmouth, N.H.) solid play
in the early minutes and a three-pointer from Cassandra
Loftus (Nashua, N.H.). The Hawks continued to roll through
the first half taking a comfortable 12 point lead at halftime,
34-22.
However, the Chargers opened up the second half with a 17-3 run
capped off by a Shanice Scully (St. Albans, N.Y.)
layup at the 12:21 mark to knot the score at 39 apiece. After a
Loftus layup, the Hawks took the lead 41-39 and never gave up the
lead from the 11:43 mark on. Erin Higgins' (Mansfield,
Mass.) spectacular three-pointer from well beyond the arc
all but sealed the deal at the 2:48 mark, taking an eight point
lead with 2:48 to play, 53-45. Both teams scored six more
coming down the stretch, with the final score, 59-51.
Reilly had an excellent second half, scoring 11 points. Reilly
went on to finish with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists,
while three other Hawks finished in double digits. Loftus finished
with 15 points and six rebounds and Thorpe picked up 12 points, six
rebounds, and three steals. Carleen Orawsky (Worcester,
Mass.) also played well, scoring 10 points going 5-for-8
from the field.
For the Chargers, Shalissa Burgess (Englewood,
N.J.) and Adele Laskowski (Wayne, N.J.)
finished with 12 points each. Burgess also picked up eight rebounds
to go along with three blocks, while Dana Rotio (Garfield,
N.J.) picked up four points, five rebounds, and three
steals in her quest for 1,000 career points. Rotio now need 13
points to get to the 1,000 career point mark.
The Hawks return to the court after Christmas, playing in the
Bryant Tournament on December 28th against Caldwell at 3 p.m.
