Simmons senior Stephanie Fox (West Springfield, Mass.) reached her 1,000th career point on Saturday afternoon as the Sharks won another Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup over host Mount Ida College, 81-73. Simmons improves to 13-6 overall, 5-2 in the GNAC, while the Mustangs fall to 8-12 overall, 1-6 in league play.
The hosts built a six-point advantage in the opening of the first half capped off on a senior Cherie Parisi (South Attleboro, Mass.) jumper leading 9-3. Although the Sharks eventually cut the lead (11-9) on a lay-in by freshman Liz O'Connor (Milton, Mass.), the Sharks were kept at arm's length while Mount Ida pulled ahead by nine on another Parisi jumper with 9:36 to go in the half.
Four minutes later, Mount Ida had their biggest lead of the game, up 11 points (36-28), after freshman Ashley White's (Salem, Mass.) third three pointer of the half with 4:32 remaining before the break.
Simmons took the lead with a little over a minute to go before the end of the half after mounting a 10-0 run up 40-38 with a strong inside offensive game. The Sharks headed into the locker room with a 43-40 advantage after trailing most of the first half.
Nine minutes into the second stanza the Sharks built a game-high 17-point advantage, capped off on a jumper by junior Liane Lantagne (Haverhill, Mass.) up 64-47.
Simmons maintained the double digit lead until the Mustangs cut it back down to six points after two successful free throws by freshman Missy Collins (East Hartford, Conn.) trailing 67-61.
Mount Ida continued to pressure their opponents for the remainder of the second half, but could not cut the lead down enough for a comeback. Simmons headed home with the 81-73 GNAC victory, good for their fifth conference win of the season.
The Sharks had five players in double figures, with senior Julianna Eagles (Quincy, Mass.) leading the way with 23 points and six boards. Fox notched a double-double with 17 points and 13 boards. O'Connor ended the evening with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds
Parisi led Mount Ida with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds while Collins added 15 with five boards. White scored a season high 14 points, nine assists, and seven caroms with teammate Katie Morvan (Northbridge, Mass.) adding 10 points and 10 boards good for a double-double.
Simmons will host Emerson College in a GNAC matchup on Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00pm. The Mustangs will travel to Nashua, New Hampshire and face GNAC foe Rivier College on Wednesday at 7:00pm.