FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2015
NE-10 teams set to square off for Regional Finals
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Two Northeast-10 teams will meet in the East Region Finals, as both New Haven and Stonehill came away victorious in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Round of 32 on Saturday night.
The Chargers topped fellow NE-10 member Franklin Pierce, 69-59, before the Skyhawks outlasted Holy Family for a 67-60 win.
Stonehill and New Haven will meet in the Regional Finals on Monday with tipoff set for 7 p.m. The Chargers beat the Skyhawks, 72-71, in the two teams' only meeting of the season back on Jan. 24 in West Haven, Conn.
#2 New Haven 69, #6 Franklin Pierce 59 | BOX
New Haven came back and outscored Franklin Pierce, 40-28, in the second half to punch its ticket into the East Region finals with a 69-59 victory over the Ravens. NE-10 Player of the Year Aquillin Hayes led the charge with 18 points and 12 rebounds, her 12th double-double of the season.
Franklin Pierce led by as much as eight points midway through the first and held a 31-29 lead at the half. The two teams went back-and-forth for most of the second half until Ashley LeBlanc gave the Chargers the lead for good at 49-47 with 7:25 to go. New Haven surprisingly won without making a single three-pointer, but forced the Ravens to turn the ball over 14 times.
Rykema Stone racked up 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Chargers. LeBlanc ended up with 15 points and five rebounds, while Bria Moore had four steals to go along with eight points. Kara Charette tallied 14 points and six rebounds for the Ravens, but fouled out with 4:11 left. Natalie Bastian, Alison Palma and Jessica Hurd all scored in double figures for Franklin Pierce.
#4 Stonehill 67, #8 Holy Family 60 | BOX
The Skyhawks held the Tigers to just 36.5 percent shooting on the night and held on for a 67-60 victory over eighth-seeded Holy Family to advance to the regional final. Amy Pelletier had a game-high 19 points for the Skyhawks and came three with the big shots when Stonehill needed them.
Stonehill got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 15-6 lead on a three from Pelletier about six minutes in. Holy Family later used a 9-0 run to sneak back in and the game was tied at 31 apiece at the half. The score remained close for much of the game until Pelletier hit a three to give the Skyhawks a 47-44 lead with 8:23 to go, and Stonehill never looked back.
All-conference first teamer Tori Faieta collected an impressive five blocked shots to go along with 16 points and eight rebounds for Stonehill. Kelly Martin added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Paige Marshall scored eight points and dished out five assists.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
