BOSTON, Mass. – First year Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) scored a career-high 17 points, while junior guard Kelsey Heavener (Stafford Springs, Conn.) also netted a career-best nine points to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team over visiting University of Maine-Presque Isle, 70-43, this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks improve to 6-7 on the season, while the Owls fall to 2-12.
Simmons owned a 45.2% (28-62) shooting mark and held a 55-32 rebounding advantage, while holding the visitors to just 22.4% (13-58) from the field for the night.
Corsinetti was 7-13 from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers, to go with three rebounds and a pair of steals for the Sharks, while Heavener grabbed two boards and came up with two steals in 12 minutes off the bench. Sophomore forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) contributed with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, while junior forward Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) chipped in with nine points on 4-4 from the field, three boards, an assist and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench.
Junior forward Amanda Hotham (Fort Fairfield, Maine) led UMaine-Presque Isle with 13 points and added five rebounds a steal and a blocked shot, while junior guard Sydney Churchill (Fort Fairfield, Maine) dropped in seven points, pulled down two rebounds, handed out two assists and made four steals.
Simmons raced out to a 12-2 lead in the opening four-plus minutes of the game, led by five points from Corsinetti. Hotham converted a layup at 5:16 for the Owls to make it 12-4, but the visitors were held to just three more points for the rest of the period as the Sharks closed it out with an 11-3 burst to take a 23-7 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Sophomore guard Brianna Losee (Pittsfield, Maine) scored the first field goal of the second quarter just 30 seconds in for UMPI, but Simmons held its guests without a point over the next 5:46. The Sharks ripped off 16 straight points, including four points each from Silva and McAdams, to increase their lead to 36-9 with 4:18 to go in the opening half. A pair of free throws from Churchill snapped the scoring drought for the Owls and sophomore guard Teagan Lawyerson (Moscow, Maine) followed with a three-pointer to cut the margin to 36-14 at the 2:52 mark of the period. Simmons maintained its cushion and went into the break with a 42-21 lead.
UMPI scored the first points of the quarter again when Churchill buried a trifecta to pull the visitors to within 42-24, but the Sharks responded with an 11-2 stretch, paced by seven points from Corsinetti, to take their largest lead of the night at 53-26 with 5:26 showing on the third quarter clock. The margin stayed at 27 following a free throw from Heavener at 2:38 to bump the score to 58-31, but the Owls netted the final five points of the period to make it 58-36.
UMPI held Simmons scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, while Hotham scored five points to cut the deficit to 60-41. Silva scored the first points of the period for the Sharks with a lay-up at 4:35 to ignite a string of eight unanswered points, capped by four straight points from Heaver to give Simmons a 68-41 advantage with 61 seconds to play in the contest.
The Sharks return to action on Saturday, January 16 when they travel to Nashua, N.H. to take on Great Northeast Athletic Conference foe Rivier University at 3:00 p.m., while the Owls head to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. to play Pennsylvania State University Wilkes-Barre on the same day at 1:00 p.m.