WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Sophomore forward Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) scored 20 points and matched her career-high with 15 rebounds to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team in an 84-65 loss to host University of Saint Joseph this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference game at the O'Connell Center in West Hartford, Conn. The Sharks fall to 5-15 overall and 1-6 in league play, while the Blue Jays improve to 8-13 and 3-4.
St. Joseph took advantage of 27 Simmons turnovers, outscoring the visitors, 32-11, in points off turnovers for the game.
Junior forward Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.) converted one of two free throws to pull the Sharks to within 12-9 with 13:30 to play in the opening half, but the Blue Jays reeled off nine unanswered points over the next three minutes to increase their lead to 21-9 with 10:31 showing in the first period. First year guard Kenya Anselme (Hartford, Conn.) later knocked down a three-pointer for the home team to give it a 35-20 cushion with 4:21 left in the half. Simmons regrouped and put together an 11-0 run, fueled by five points from Brasa, to cut the deficit to 35-31 with 40 seconds left in the half. St. Joseph took a 37-32 margin into the intermission.
Brasa converted a pair of free throws for the first two points of the second half to bring the Sharks to within 37-34 with 51 seconds gone in the period. The Blue Jays countered with seven straight points to take a 44-34 lead at the 17:36 mark of the second half and later maintained a 52-42 advantage at 11:13. Junior guard Jennifer Janiak (Chelmsford, Mass.) drilled a trifecta for the Sharks to cut the margin to seven, but St. Joseph enjoyed a 16-7 stretch over the next four minutes to put the game out of reach. Senior guard Brianna Ferraro (Waterbury, Conn.) led the run with nine points to extend the home team's advantage to 68-52 with just over seven minutes to go in the contest. St. Joseph's outscored Simmons by three for the remainder of the contest to claim the victory.
In addition to her fifth double-double of the season, Brasa also dished out two assists and blocked a shot for Simmons. Classmate Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) also posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards to go with three assists, a steal and a block, while Janiak finished with 10 points, three rebounds and one assist.
Ferraro led the Blue Jays with 20 points, eight assists, two rebounds, a pair of steals and two blocks. Senior forward Heather Framski (Prospect, Conn.) chipped in with 19 points on 6-10 from the floor and added 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
The Sharks return to action on Tuesday, February 10 when they travel to Providence, R.I. to take on GNAC foe Johnson & Wales University at 7:00 p.m., while St. Joseph hosts Albertus Magnus College on the same night at 7:00 p.m.