BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College women's basketball team fell at Newbury College Saturday afternoon 54-37 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action to give the Nighthawks the season sweep over the Mountaineers.
Newbury senior center Catherine O'Connell (Quincy, Mass.) registered her eighth double-double of the season, 61st of her collegiate career, netting 10 points while ripping down 19 rebounds.
Southern Vermont kept O'Connell in check offensively in the first half, keeping the Newbury center off the scoreboard as the Mountaineers jumped out to a quick 8-2 advantage. However, Nighthawk sophomore center Jamie Vankoeverden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was the spark off the bench, igniting a seven-minute 11-0 run by knocking down a layup in the paint on a pass from freshman point guard Katelyn Roeser (Nashua, N.H.). Newbury did not look back and took a five point, 22-17 lead into the break.
When the teams emerged from the locker rooms, the Nighthawks kept their foot on the accelerator. O'Connell continued to dominate the low post, grabbing 10 boards while registering three blocks and six assists. The South Shore native tied her career single-game high knocking down a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe.
Midway through the half, sophomore guard Nephie Marsh (Brockton, Mass.) gave the Nighthawks their largest lead of the game, netting a layup in the paint to take a commanding 43-22 lead. The Mountaineers remained resilient and continued to battle their way back. Freshman forward Kala MacKenzie (Fair Haven, Vt.) netted four of her team-high eight points while classmate forward Sarah McDonald (Cohoes, N.Y.) fell three points shy of a double-double, tallying seven points with 10 boards. But it was not enough to surpass the Nighthawks, who outscored the Mountaineers 32-20 in the second half.
Mountaineer freshman Mariah Anthony (Northfield, Mass.) had six points and five rebounds while Marsh had 13 points off the bench for the Nighthawks.
Southern Vermont (3-12 overall, 3-5 NECC) looks to get back to its winning ways on Tuesday when the Mountaineers visit Elms College for a 6 p.m. NECC tip while the Nighthawks (8-7 overall, 6-2 NECC) look to make it three-straight wins when they host Regis College Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game.