BOSTON, Mass. -- Senior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) recorded her 10th double-double of the year with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team in a 73-54 loss to host Emmanuel College (Mass.) this afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Andy Yosinoff Court in Boston, Mass. The Sharks fall to 2-16 overall and 2-11 in league play, while the Saints win their 11th straight game to improve to 17-6 and 11-1.
Emmanuel shot 45.8% (27-59) from the floor for the game, while holding Simmons to 35.9% (23-64). The Saints' transition offense was too much for the Sharks as well, outscoring their guests, 22-2, in fastbreak points.
Silva posted her fifth straight double-double and added five steals, three blocks and two assists for Simmons, while first year guard Carli Koffinke (Franklin, Mass.) turned in career highs of 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. First year forward Julia LaMontagne (Amesbury, Mass.) matched her career best with 10 points to go with two rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Sophomore guard Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (South Boston, Mass.) netted a game-high 21 points on 10-15 shooting in addition to 12 rebounds, an assist and a steal to lead Emmanuel. Senior guard Alisha Fox (National Park, N.J.) contributed with 10 points, six assists, two steals and a rebound, while senior guard Ryan Maynard (Bowie, Md.) chipped in with nine points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist.
The Sharks erased a 32-26 halftime deficit with the first six points of the second half to knot the game at 32-32 with 8:19 showing in the third quarter. Silva later made a lay-up to keep the game tied at 37-37 with 5:15 showing, but the Saints reeled off 12 straight points, including seven from Ramirez-Tejeda, to take a 49-37 advantage with 3:07 left in the period. Fox later extended the Emmanuel cushion to 54-41 with a three-pointer at the 1:43 mark of the third quarter, before the home team took a 54-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
Silva pulled Simmons to within 55-47 with 8:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, before the Saints put together an 11-3 burst to take a 66-50 lead with 4:11 to play in the game. The Sharks cut the deficit to 66-54, but Emmanuel scored the final seven points of the afternoon to take a 73-54 victory.
The teams were tied at 4-4 with 5:31 showing on the first quarter clock, before the Saints went on a 12-2 run, including eight straight points, to take a 16-6 lead at the 1:46 mark of the opening period. Simmons scored four of the next six points to close to within 18-12 at the end of the first quarter. Emmanuel went on an 8-2 run to open the second period to take a 26-14 lead, but the Sharks matched it with an 8-2 spurt of their own to keep it a six-point game at 28-22 with 2:41 left in the second quarter. The teams went into the intermission with the Saints holding a 32-26 lead.
The Sharks return to the hardcourt on Tuesday, February 6 when they host Regis (Mass.) in GNAC play at Moore Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Saints travel to Newton, Mass. on the same night to take on GNAC foe Lasell College at 7:00 p.m.