BOSTON, Mass. -- Sophomore guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) scored 27 points for the Simmons University women's basketball team, but a big second quarter from host Emmanuel College (Mass.) was enough to propel the Saints to a 93-71 Great Northeast Athletic Conference victory over the Sharks at Andy Yosinoff Court at the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass. Simmons falls to 4-13 on the season and 1-3 in league play, while Emmanuel wins its fifth straight game to improve to 13-4 and a perfect 4-0.
The Saints were efficient from the floor, shooting 53.9% (41-76) and took advantage of 28 turnovers by their guests to account for a 38-7 disparity in points off turnovers.
Stapelfeld was 9-17 from the floor, including 6-12 from three-point range and added two rebounds, a pair of assists, two steals and a blocked shot to lead the Sharks, while senior point guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) contributed with 13 points, four assists and a steal. Senior guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) came off the bench to chip in with 12 points, including 4-6 from beyond the three-point arc in addition to five rebounds and a steal in 17 minutes of action.
Junior forward Yuleska Ramirez-Tejada (South Boston, Mass.) posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds and was 7-12 from the floor, while handing out two assists and making a steal for Emmanuel. Senior guard Madison McLaughlin (Westerly, R.I.) also registered a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists to go with two rebounds and three steals. Kayla Weaver finished 8-13 from the field to net 16 points and added four steals, three assists and a rebound as one of five Saints with double-digit points on the night.
Emmanuel got out to a 18-11 lead with 3:09 left in the opening quarter, paced by six points from Weaver. Stapelfeld keyed an 11-2 run with a pair of made three-pointers to give Simmons a 22-20 lead with 38 seconds to go in the period. The Sharks held the lead as the quarter ended with a 24-22 margin.
Corsinetti drained a trifecta 78 seconds into the second period to give the Sharks a 27-26 edge, but it was their last lead of the evening as the Saints closed out the half on an 18-2 run, fueled by a pair of made three-pointers from McLaughlin, to give Emmanuel a 44-29 cushion at the intermission.
The Saints maintained a 46-31 advantage with 7:44 showing on the third quarter clock, before going on a 20-7 stretch to take their largest lead of the contest at 66-38 with 2:27 remaining in the third period of play. Simmons countered by finishing the period with a 14-4 burst, led by 11 points from Stapelfeld, to pull the Sharks to within 70-52 at the end of three quarters.
Emmanuel later matched its biggest lead following a Ramirez-Tejada lay-up to give the Saints an 84-56 lead with 5:03 left in the game. The Sharks tried to chip away over the next three minutes, including a three-pointer from Corsinetti to cut the margin to 93-71 with 1:45 to play. Neither team was able to score for the remainder of the night.
Simmons returns to action on Thursday, January 24 when it hosts nationally-ranked number 11 Saint Joseph's College (Maine) at 7:00 p.m. in GNAC action at Moore Gymasium, while Emmanuel hosts Norwich University on the same night at 7:00 p.m.