Box Score SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Led by five double-digit scorers, the Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team held off a hard-charging Le Moyne College squad, 73-67, on Saturday afternoon at Ted Grant Court.
With the win, the Owls improve to 13-10 overall and hold a 10-5 mark in the Northeast-10 Conference. Le Moyne falls to 14-9 on the season and 8-8 in the conference.
Senior guard
Sydni Lester (Teaneck, N.J.) led the Owls' charge with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and a team-high four steals. Senior guard
Mariah Hankton (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and sophomore
Maria Weselyj (Marlborough, Conn.) each chipped in with 13 points, respectively. Weselyj had the hot hand on the afternoon, as she was 3-of-4 from long range and 4-of-4 from the line.
Juniors
Danielle Powell (Middletown, N.Y.) and
Jackie Beathea (Annandale, Va.) rounded out the quartet of double-digit scorers with 10 points each, while Powell collected her fifth double-double of the season.
In the opening seven minutes of play, Southern Connecticut and Le Moyne battled back-and-forth for the lead and tied the game for the fourth time at 10-10. Lester and Powell scored the next two baskets for the Owls, giving the team a 14-10 lead with 12:18 remaining.
Southern Connecticut would then use a 12-4 run, capped by a Powell layup at 7:06 to up the advantage to 26-14. Following a basket from both teams, the Owls would then go on a short spurt to extend their lead to 34-16.
With the first half coming to an end, Southern Connecticut took its largest lead of the game, 41-21, following a jumper from Lester at the 2:47 mark. Le Moyne managed to end the half on a 4-0 run cutting the deficit to 16, 41-25, heading into the locker rooms.
Southern Connecticut took advantage of the Dolphins' 14 turnovers and scored 15 points off those turnovers. In the first half, the Owls shot 47.2% from the field, 55.6% from long range and 100% from the line.
Just about 11 minutes into the second half, Southern Connecticut managed to keep its lead to above 15, until a free throw from Austin Stevens put the Dolphins to within 13, 57-44. The Owls kept their composure and pushed their lead back up 61-44 with 7:22 remaining on the clock.
With less than three minutes to play, Le Moyne managed to cut the double-digit lead to single digits, 63-59, after a 10-0 run that was sparked by Vandell Andrade . Despite cutting Southern Connecticut's lead to single digits, 69-65, Le Moyne came up short Saturday afternoon against the Owls, 73-67.
Next up, the Owls return home to Moore Field House on Saturday, Feb. 14 as the team welcomes Adelphi University for a Northeast-10 Conference clash. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
