BENNINGTON, Vt. - There is simply no way to defend basketball like this. The return of senior power forward Markeisha Mullen from injury transformed nearly every facet of the game for the Southern Vermont College women, who looked at least formidable and at best downright dominant in their 77-61 victory over visiting Newbury College in New England Collegiate Conference action on Thursday.
Mullen's welcome-back double-double (14 points, 18 rebounds) was only part of the story regarding her return, as a bonafide inside presence finally opened things up for SVC's outside shooters - especially freshman guard Alyssa Davis, who drained a half-dozen three-pointers on her way to a game-high 22 points.
"It was amazing," Davis said of her hot shooting night. "Having Markeisha back, we could kick it in to her and when she didn't have a shot, she'd kick it right back out - and tonight, finally, I was on."
The Mountaineers (4-10 overall, 2-3 NECC) had connected on a woeful 5-of-40 triples in their previous game, making Thursday's 9-of-26 showing from international waters that much more impressive. Mullen said afterward that she was possibly the biggest fan of her teammates' deadeye shooting, as it forced the Nighthawks (1-12, 1-4) to stay honest with their defense and not colapse completely on every pass into the paint.
"I didn't want to take any shots, I was so impressed with our outside jumpers," said Mullen, who also added five assists to the Mountaineer attack. "We have freshmen on this team who came out and played like pros, and it feels really good to have that kind of confidence in your teammates."
Joining Davis in that pro-quality effort were fellow freshmen Kayla Whitman (17 points) and Joa Claircius (12). Whitman was also her usually whirling-dervish self on the defensive end, racking up 10 steals to account for all but one of Newbury's 11 total turnovers.
Newbury trailed from the fifth minute of the game until the final buzzer, though the Nighthawks trimmed their deficit to four points, 65-61, with 4:09 remaining in the game. But Mullen's poise provided the answer when her team needed one most, as she powered inside for two layups within a span of 55 seconds to key the Mountaineers' 12-0 game-ending run.
"Markeisha gives us a lot of things: An inside presence, strong rebounding and a tough mental effort," SVC head coach Ben Kozik said.
Other highlights for SVC included a 14-rebound performance from sophomore Tiarra Hall and a pair of timely three-pointers from freshman guard Kristen Cummings. Whitman played all 40 minutes for the Mountaineers and joined Mullen in going 6-for-7 from the charity stripe; the team as a whole was a perfect 8-for-8 on foul shots within the final minute of play.
The Mountaineers will try to parly Thursday's victory into a winning streak on Saturday, when they host Bay Path at 1 p.m.