Box Score QUARTER SCORES:1: 19-16 (STM)
2: 35-31 (SCS)
3: 62-55 (SCS)
FINAL SCORE: So. Conn. St. 87 | Saint Michael's 82
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Led by a career-high 24 points from junior
Maria Weselyj (Marlborough, Conn.) and a double-double from senior
Jackie Beathea (Annandale, Va.), the Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team snapped Saint Michael's College two-game winning streak with a 87-82 Northeast-10 Conference victory at Moore Field House on Wednesday evening.
Following the win, the Owls improve to 10-5 overall and 3-4 in the Northeast-10 Conference while the Purple Knights fall to 5-7 and 2-6.
Weselyj came off the bench scoring 24 of the Owls' 43 bench points as she went 8-of-11 from the field, 3-of-4 from behind the arc and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. She also recorded three rebounds, two steals and two assists for the Owls. Beathea recorded her eighth double-double of the season, 13 points and 15 rebounds, to go along with a solo assist. Senior forward
Danielle Powell (Middletown, N.Y.) rounded out the Owls' double-digit scorers with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Over the first five minutes of play, Southern Connecticut and Saint Michael's battled for the lead, managing two ties and two lead changes. With five minutes to go in the first quarter, Saint Michael's pushed its lead to four, 15-11, before two free throws from
Taylor McLaughlin (Colchester, Conn.) brought the Owls to within two, 15-13. However, Saint Michael's would close out the quarter with a 4-3 run, securing the three-point lead, 19-16.
Southern Connecticut's offense was held shooting only 35.3 percent from field, but outscored the Purple Knights in the paint, 6-4, and point off turnovers, 6-2. Weselyj scored five of the Owls' nine bench points in the first quarter.
Down by three entering the second quarter, Southern Connecticut saw Saint Michael's lead grow to seven, 23-16, before a 7-0 run by the hosts tied the game at 23-23 with 4:58 remaining. Saint Michael's were up by four, 27-23, but the hosts battled back to take its first lead of the game, 28-27. From that point on, Southern Connecticut would lead for the rest of the game as well as hold a 35-31 lead at the half.
At the half, Weselyj had 15 of the the Owls' 35 points as well as posted a steal and two rebounds. The Purple Knights were outrebounding the Owls by a 23-19 edge while the Owls held a 6-12 edge in turnovers.
For the remainder of the game, Southern Connecticut would hold its lead and never look back. The Owls would take their biggest lead of the game with nine, 62-53, before closing out the third with a seven point lead, 62-55.
Similar to the third, the Owls did the exact same thing in the fourth as the team pushed their lead to nine, 72-69, before securing the 87-82 home victory.
The Owls are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 9th as they take on Stonehill.
