Saint Michael's SMC 15-14,9-10 NE10

Southern Conn. St. SCSU 25-5,17-2 NE10

Saint Michael's SMC

15-14,9-10 NE10

Final

Mar. 13, 2026

Southern Conn. St. SCSU

25-5,17-2 NE10

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Saint Michael's SMC	11	11	17	10	49
Southern Conn. St. SCSU	16	8	11	21	56

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/13/2026 7:55:00 PM

No. 1 SCSU Women's Basketball Tops No. 8 St. Michael's, 56-49, In NCAA East Region Quarterfinals

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut women's basketball won a tight, hard-fought battle against Northeast-10 Conference foe St. Michael's, 56-49, in the NCAA East Region Quarterfinals at James Moore Field House. The Owls improved to 25-5 on the season and advance to the NCAA East Region Semifinals on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Hope Fox continued her red-hot play in the month of March with 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the Owls while Rheyna Steinauer had 13 points and six rebounds. Taeya Steinauer had nine points and four steals while Tish Blackwood totaled nine points and 10 rebounds with two blocks. It was Southern's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2011.

The Owls' matchup against the Purple Knights was the fourth meeting between the two teams this season – an in-game series that featured a blowout by Saint Michael's at James Moore Field House in late November before the Owls responded with three-straight against the Purple Knights. The game in the NCAA Tournament was no different as it featured seven lead changes between the two teams while neither team led by more than five points for most of regulation.

Southern held a five-point advantage through the first quarter, 16-11, with six different Owls scoring in the first 10 minutes of the game. The second quarter saw the game tilt in favor of the Purple Knights, who outscored the Owls, 11-8, and pull within a basket, 24-22, heading into the break. With the Owls leading 16-11, Southern pushed it's lead to seven points on a Rheyna layup. The Owls controlled the lead for most of the second quarter, eventually taking a 22-16 lead, before Saint Michael's closed the half on a 6-2 run.

Coming out of halftime, it was more Purple Knights as Saint Michael's outscored the Owls, 17-11, in the third to take a 39-35 lead into the fourth. In the third, Southern led, 31-26, with six minutes to play before Saint Michael's used a 13-4 run over the remaining third in the quarter to pull ahead.

In the fourth, Taeya opened with a layup to pull the Owls within a point before Rheyna knocked down a three-pointer to give the Owls a 40-39 lead. Saint Michael's regained the lead on a pair of free throws before teams traded trips down the court that were met with stifling defense, both ways. With the Purple Knights leading, 43-42, it was a three-point play from Fox with just under five minutes to play that gave the Owls the lead for good. Down the stretch, Southern turned its consistent shooting at the free throw line, converting on 9-of-11, as they outscored the Purple Knights, 11-6, over the last three minutes to seal the win over the home crowd.

The Owls will face the winner of the final game of the Quarterfinals between No. 5 Holy Family and No. 4 Assumption in the Semifinals on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

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