BENNINGTON, Vt. — Tuesday night at the Mountaineer Athletic Center, the Southern Vermont College women's basketball team defeated Becker College for the second time this season by knocking off the Hawks 69-27 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.
The win ensures that SVC will finish the conference schedule with a record above .500, pushing the Mountaineers to 10-2 against the NECC (12-7 overall). Results from around the league Tuesday night also led to Southern Vermont securing a conference postseason berth, the team's first-ever playoff action in its 21-year history. Becker drops to 0-17 on the season and 0-10 in the league with the loss.
The Mountaineer bench was solid for the hosts, outscoring the Hawks' by a 42-4 margin. Among those doing well in reserve time was SVC sophomore captain Amber Dow (Panton, Vermont) who dropped a career-high 15 points to lead all players, adding a game-best four steals and three boards. Freshman Chloe Longe (Enosburg Falls, Vermont) added 12 points and five rebounds off the pine while classmate Danielle Simmons (Rensselaer, New York) chipped in with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Junior Sarah McDonald (Cohoes, New York) led the Southern Vermont starters with 10 points to go with three assists.
Becker senior Brooke Martel (Griswold, Connecticut) paced her team with 13 points, being the only Hawk to reach double digits; she added three rebounds and three steals while freshman Kaitlyn Rose (North Attleboro, Massachusetts) tied the game-high of six rebounds off the BC bench.
SVC shot at a 50.9 percent clip for the evening, going 28-55 from the floor. The Mountaineers were strong in the paint, recording a 34-12 advantage on points in the key, and the hosts tallied an 11-4 edge in second-chance points.
A quick three-pointer by Southern Vermont junior captain Amber Flagg (Windsor, Connecticut) put the Mountaineers on top early, and they never looked back the rest of the way. Another trey, this time by SVC junior Marissa Myers (Chatham, New York), was followed by a jumper by classmate Kala MacKenzie (Fair Haven, Vermont) off the inbound pass to give the hosts a 12-0 cushion.
Becker got on the scoreboard when Martel knocked down a three of her own from the right side, only to see SVC score 10 more unanswered points to take a commanding lead. The Mountaineer momentum led to the action opening up all over the floor, as seen when Longe made a great, threading pass to a cutting Simmons who then converted the layup.
After Southern Vermont took a 38-11 lead into the locker room, Flagg started the second half by swiping the ball from Becker and breaking all the way down the court for the lay-in. The Mountaineers kept up the efficiency to keep the Hawks from staging a comeback, and SVC walked out with the 69-27 victory for its third straight win.
Southern Vermont now looks ahead to hosting Mitchell College on Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference contest while the Hawks set their sights on a 6 p.m. Thursday NECC showdown with Elms College at home.