Boxscore

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior forward Kate Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) led all scorers with 22 points, added a game-high five assists and pulled down four rebounds on Saturday evening as the No. 2 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State women's basketball team opened their 2007-08 season with a 92-71 victory over St. Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Moore Fieldhouse. Junior guard Lexi Allen (Southbury, Conn.) added a career-high 20 points for the Owls in the victory.Erin Higgins and Rachel Reilly scored 17 points each to lead three Hawks in double figures in the loss. With the win, SCSU begins the season 1-0 (1-0 NE-10) while St. Anselm starts at 0-1 (0-1 NE-10).

SCSU wasted no time getting out of the gate, as they opened the season with a 13-4 run. The run was highlighted by seven points from Allen, who was playing her first regular season contest after missing the entire 2006-07 season due to injury. The Hawks would answer with an 8-3 run of their own to close the gap to 16-12 on a jumper by Reilly at the midway point of the half. SCSU closed the half with a pair of free throws from Lynch to take a 43-31 lead into the lockerroom.

Lynch led all scorers in the first half with 15 points, including 8-for-9 at the free throw line. Allen joined Lynch in double figures in the first half with 11 points of her own. Reilly was the lone Hawk in double digits in the first half, as she poured in 12 before the intermission on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor. SCSU sophomore forward Jacqueline Johannes (Southbury, Conn.) led all rebounders with five rebounds in the first half, including five off the offensive glass.

Much of the second half saw back-and-forth action, with the teams often trading baskets through the first 10 minutes of the stanza. The Owls would open the game up with a three minute run beginning just before the eight-minute mark. The 8-1 run was capped by an Allen layup off a Lynch steal to give SCSU a 20-point lead at 80-60. The teams would go back to trading baskets, with SCSU pushing the lead as high as 23 points with 1:08 to play before winning by the final 92-71 score.

For the game, Lynch led all scorers with 22 and was joined by three other Owls in double figures. Allen, Johannes and sophomore forward Sarah Houseknecht (Olean, N.Y.) finished with career highs of 20, 15 and 15 points, respectively. Johannes finished with a game- and career-high eight rebounds, two shy of a double-double. Houseknecht grabbed a career-high five rebounds, while Allen matched her career high with five as well. Freshman guard Logan Lentz (Chambersburg, Pa.) made her collegiate debut and posted six points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Katie Spydell (Newbury, N.H.) played in her first collegiate contest as well.

For St. Anselm, Higgins and Reilly led the way with 17 points each, while Cassaundra Thorpe joined them in double figures with 16. Thorpe added eight rebounds to tie for the game high while Cassandra Loftus collected seven boards of her own.

SCSU shot 43.8% from the floor to hold a slight edge over St. Anselm's 39.0%. The Owls also held an 84.6% to 76.7% advantage from the free-throw line.

The Owls return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 20 when they host Bentley in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.