BOSTON, Mass. – Senior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) posted a monster double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds and became the school's career steals leader in the final home game of her career to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team over visiting University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 70-57, this evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks improve to 3-18 overall and 3-12 in league play, while the Blue Jays fall to 8-15 and 3-12.
Simmons dominated the glass, owning a 47-31 rebounding advantage and shot 41.5% (22-53) from the floor, while holding Saint Joseph to 30.5% (18-59).
Silva matched her career high for rebounds and came up with seven steals to give her 177 for her career to move past Lauren Kreckie's (2006-09) former mark of 174. She also tied her personal-best total with seven blocked shots and added three assists for the Sharks. Junior guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) netted a season-high 17 points on 5-6 from the floor, including 4-5 from three-point range to go with two rebounds, a steal and an assist in 24 minutes off the bench. First year guard Carli Koffinke (Franklin, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, three boards and two assists, while junior forward Lauren Brandau (Madison, Conn.) contributed with eight points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.
Senior forward Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) led all scorers with a career-high 32 points, including a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line and added 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals to lead the Blue Jays. Senior guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, handed out four assists and came up with a pair of steals.
The Sharks owned a 45-40 lead at the end of three quarters, but the Blue Jays reeled off six unanswered points to begin the final period, including four free throws from Guest, to take a 46-45 edge with 7:56 left in the game. It was the visitors' last lead of the night as Simmons countered with seven straight points, capped by a three-pointer from Corsinetti, to take a 52-46 margin with 5:41 showing on the fourth quarter clock. Guest later knocked down a jumper in the paint to keep Saint Joseph within five at 57-52, but an 8-1 run, paced by four points from Brandau gave the Sharks a 65-53 cushion with 91 seconds left in the contest. Silva later banked in a three-pointer with seven ticks left on the clock to close out the game and give the home team a 70-57 victory.
Simmons scored 12 of the game's first 14 points in the opening quarter as part of an 18-6 run, fueled by a pair of trifectas from Koffinke and five points from Silva. Mayo knocked down a three pointer with 1:08 remaining in the first period to pull the Blue Jays to within 18-9 at the close of the first quarter.
The Saint Joseph trey sparked momentum that extended into the second quarter as the Blue Jays reeled off 11 unanswered points, including nine from Mayo, to give them a 20-18 lead with 5:53 left in the second quarter. Silva later hit a jumper for the final points before halftime to give the Sharks a 27-26 lead with 27 seconds left before the end of the quarter.
Guest later drained her only three-ball of the night to knot the tilt at 31-31 for the Blue Jays with 7:30 to play in the third period. Corsinetti answered with a pair of three-pointers to give Simmons a 37-31 margin at the 5:53 mark. The Sharks maintained their lead at 45-40 to end the quarter.
The Sharks close out the 2017-18 campaign on Saturday, February 17 when they travel to New Haven, Conn. to take on GNAC foe Albertus Magnus College at 1:00 p.m., while Saint Joseph heads to Chicopee, Mass. on February 15 to take on Elms College for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.