BOSTON, Mass. - Senior forwards Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) and Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) each posted double-doubles and junior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) broke the Simmons College women's basketball career record for blocks in a 65-57 loss to visiting Saint Joseph's College (Maine) this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at Moore Gynmasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks fall to 5-8 overall and 5-3 in league play, while the Monks win their eighth straight game to improve to 15-2 and a perfect 9-0.
Brasa recorded her team-leading fourth double-double of the year with 16 points on 6-9 from the floor and 10 rebounds to go with two assists, a block and a steal, while McAdams netted 15 points and pulled down 12 boards in addition to a steal in 23 minutes off the bench for Simmons. Silva registered a block at the 8:50 mark of the second quarter to become the Sharks' career leader for blocked shots, moving past Kristen Lucek (2002-06). She finished with three rejections to give her 82 for her career to go with nine points, nine rebounds and a steal. Senior guard Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) also pitched in with 15 points, three steals, two assists and a rebound.
Sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Saint Joseph's and added two blocks and a steal to her double-double. Sophomore point guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) returned to her home state to contribute 13 points, including 3-6 from downtown, while handing out five assists and classmate Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) chipped in with 13 points, eight boards, three assists and one takeaway.
After Marks opened the second quarter scoring for with Monks a layup, Simmons enjoyed an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to one at 14-13 with 5:31 showing in the second period. McAdams hit four free throws in that time span, while Brasa and Zoldy each made buckets. The Monks responded with a crucial 13-2 run, including a pair of three-pointers in a span of 14 seconds from Marks and McNamara, after taking advantage of a foul following Marks' triple. Saint Joseph's took a 10-point lead into halftime at, 29-19, thanks to a 12-0 margin in points off turnovers for the quarter.
The third quarter began with a flurry of baskets, two each by Zoldy and Benway for their respective teams. The Monks ultimately went on a 12-6 run to open up a 13-point lead (41-28) at 4:56 in the third quarter, led by five points by Champagne. The teams traded buckets for the remainder of the frame with Benway hitting a layup with six seconds left to extend the visitors' lead to 15 points at 55-40.
The Monks experienced their biggest lead of the ballgame when first year guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) converted on a layup 2:45 into the last stanza to make it 60-42 and an 18-point margin. The Sharks were able to cut the deficit to eight points at 63-55, with 63 seconds remaining, thanks to a 13-3 run. McAdams fueled the run with six points, but that's as close as the home team would get as Saint Joseph's was able to hold on for the win, 65-57.
Simmons will be back in action on Tuesday, January 24 when it travels to GNAC foe University of Saint Joseph's (Conn.) in West Hartford, Conn. for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Monks travel to Biddeford, Maine to take on University of New England on January 23, for a non-conference match at 7:00 p.m.