BOSTON, Mass. – Junior guard Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) netted 17 points to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team as it hung on for a 68-66 victory over visiting Pine Manor College this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks improve to 4-5 on the season, while the Gators fall to 1-10.
Simmons shot 41.9% (26-62) from the floor and dominated the boards with a 54-38 margin and also came up with a season-high nine blocks, while Pine Manor knocked down a dozen three-pointers.
Zoldy grabbed six rebounds, handed out five assists and blocked a shot for the Sharks, while first year guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points on 5-9 from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers and added two rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes for Simmons. Junior forward Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) also contributed for the home team with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with a steal and an assist and rookie guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) dished out a personal-best seven assists in addition to three points, five rebounds, four steals and a block.
Senior guard Alexis Lee (Akron, Ohio) scored a game-high 22 points to top the Gators and added three rebounds, five assists and three steals, while classmate Sybil Lynch (Hoboken, N.J.) poured in 16 points, including four three-pointers in addition to four rebounds, three steals and an assist. Sophomore forward Erica Jones (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
The Sharks looked like they were on their way to a blow-out victory after taking a 21-3 lead with eight seconds left in the first quarter, including seven points from Zoldy and six from Corsinetti. However, Lynch drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Gators six points in the opening quarter and ignite a 19-4 run that pulled the visitors to within 25-22 with 3:55 to go in the second period. Lynch scored 11 points during the comeback that saw Pine Manor drain a trio of three-pointers. Lee later canned a trifecta to cut the Gators' deficit to one at 29-28 with 1:29 remaining in the first half. Senior guard Gracie Rolfe (Newton, Mass.) made a lay-up with 77 seconds left in the half to give Simmons a 31-28 margin at the intermission.
The Sharks later owned a 34-31 lead at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter, but Pine Manor drained two more triples as part of a 16-6 stretch that saw Lee score eight points and the visitors take a 47-40 advantage with 3:48 to play in the quarter. Simmons regrouped and closed out the period with the final nine points, including a lay-up from Zoldy with 25 seconds left to give the home team a 49-47 margin heading into the final period.
The Sharks picked up where they left off, scoring the first seven points of the period to extend their cushion to 56-47 with 8:03 to go in the game. The Gators remained resilient for the remainder of the contest, pulling to within three points on four different occasions, before Lee buried her fifth trey of the night to bring Pine Manor to within 67-65 with 10 ticks left on the clock. Corsinetti converted the front end of two free throws to give Simmons a 68-65 lead with seven seconds left. Lee's final three-point attempt of the evening was off the mark for the Gators and the Sharks hung on for the win.
Simmons continues a four-game homestand on Thursday, January 7, hosting Newbury College at 7:00 p.m., while Pine Manor returns to Boston on the same night, taking on Suffolk University at 6:00 p.m.