BENNINGTON, Vt. — After being down by nine points going into halftime Sunday afternoon, the Southern Vermont College women's basketball team saw The Sage Colleges Gators pull away in the second en route to a 78-46 non-league win at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
Sage improves its season record to 3-3 while SVC falls to 2-3 with the loss.
The Mountaineers were led by a 10-point performance from junior captain Amber Flagg (Windsor, Connecticut) who added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the effort. Classmate Sarah McDonald (Cohoes, New York) tallied five points to go with her team-high seven rebounds while fellow forward Kala MacKenzie (Fair Haven, Vermont) finished with six points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Four Gators reached double digits in the points column while senior Amie Jefferson (Albany, New York) notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 11 boards. Sophomore Frankie Pearson (Hoosick Falls, New York) led all players with 14 points, and senior Megan Bowman (Dannemore, New York) had 11 points to go with her game-high seven assists. Sage freshman Genevieve Schoff (Little Falls, New York) scored 10 points while sophomore Krystyn Knockwood (Troy, New York) grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench.
Southern Vermont started off well, keeping pace with Sage and even leading at a couple points in the early going. But with the Mountaineers on top 8-6 after a MacKenzie layup, the Gators scored eight unanswered to pull ahead. SVC kept pace, however, as the hosts continued to make shots and force Sage turnovers. After McDonald hit one-of-two from the free throw line with 3:20 to play in the first, the Gators recorded the final seven points of the half to go into the break with a 28-19 advantage.
Pearson had eight of her points in the first while MacKenzie and Schoff followed with six apiece. Threes were hard to come by as SVC went 0-4 from beyond the perimeter and Sage connected on only 1-5 attempts.
The two teams traded baskets to start the second period, but Sage then went on an 18-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Mountaineers. The Gators shot 54.1 percent in the half to finish with a 47.1 percent clip (32-68) on the day; SVC ended with an even 30 percent shooting, going 18-60 from the floor.
The Mountaineers continue their home stand on Tuesday when they open up New England Collegiate Conference action with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Bay Path University. Sage also plays at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m., welcoming Cazenovia College to Kahl Gym in Albany, N.Y.