NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut women's basketball defeated the leader in the Southwest Division, Pace University, 62-44, at Moore Field House. With the win, the Owls improved to 9-10 overall and 6-7 in the Northeast 10, while the Setters fell to 17-5 overall and 12-4 in the NE10.
Graduate student Jessica Fressle (Levittown, N.Y.) had a game-high 22 points on 59-percent shooting from the field along with 13 boards, three assists, and a steal. Senior Zoë Amalbert (Nanuet, N.Y.) had 13 points, eight assists, and a steal. Sophomore Katie Williamson (Dublin, Ireland) recorded eight points, five rebounds, and two blocks, while senior Delaney Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) chipped in eight assists and five rebounds.
Quarter Scores
Q1: SCS 14, PACE 13
Q2: SCS 31, PACE 23
Q3: SCS 47, PACE 28
Q4: SCS 62, PACE 44
How It Happened
- First quarter action saw both teams in a push-and-pull tug for the lead, but the Owls narrowly outscored the Setters, 14-13.
- The second quarter started slower than the first with neither team scoring through their first two possessions until Katie Williamson drained a layup from Delaney Connors for the Owls. Midway through, Southern's offense got hot with an 11-2 run that gave them their first double-digit lead of the game, 27-17. Pace attempted to claw their way back, edging the Owls in scoring, 6-4, in the last two minutes, but Southern went into halftime with an eight-point advantage over the Setters.
- Out of the locker room, Pace grabbed the first basket of the quarter, but Southern responded with a 12-0 run that saw them take a dominating 18-point lead, 43-25. After a scoreless three minutes for the Owls, Pace grabbed their first basket in nearly eight minutes, their first since the opening basket of the quarter. Southern finished the frame up by 19.
- Heading into the final 10 minutes of action, Southern took their largest lead of the game off baskets from Connors and Patricia Conroy and led by 21 points, 51-30. Pace's offense started to find a rhythm, outscoring the Owls in a quarter for the first time all game. At the 6:41 mark, Pace picked up a 6-0 run that cut the Owls lead to 15 points. Southern responded with a 9-2 to bring their lead back above 20 points, 62-42. Pace picked up the final two baskets of the game in the winding minute, but it was not enough as the Owls took down the top team in the Southwest Division by 18 at home.
Notes
- Jessica Fressle collected her 11th double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
- Fressle has at least 20 points in six games and at least 15 points in 14 games this season. She has double-digit points in all but two games.
- Zoë Amalbert has 14 games with at least five assists and four games with at least 10 assists.
- Amalbert has double-digit points in 14 of the Owls 21 games played this season.
- This is the first victory over Pace since Feb. 23, 2019 when the Owls defeated the Setters, 82-78, in overtime at Moore Field House.
Up Next
The Owls will begin the first game of a five-game road trip with Le Moyne on Saturday, Feb. 12.