Junior Kristen McWhirter matched her career-high with 21 points to lead Stonehill past Molloy this afternoon.

Stonehill Bounces Back at Molloy, 54-47

McWhirter nets career-high matching 21 points as Skyhawks round out 2009 with win

Boxscore 

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (December 28, 2009) - Stonehill College, among team's receiving votes in the most recent USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, closed out 2009 on a winning note with a 54-47 victory over Molloy College in non-conference women's basketball action at Quealy Gymnasium this afternoon.

Junior guard Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.Y./New Hampton Prep) led the way for Stonehill with a career-high matching 21 points as she made 8-of-14 shots from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, while converting both free-throw attempts to go with three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Senior Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) added 12 points (ten second half), aided by an 8-for-8 effort at the line, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) contributed eight points and five assists, while senior Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds for the Skyhawks.

Senior Kymira Woodberry (Hyde Park, Mass./Newton North) accounted for over half of Molloy's scoring with a season-high matching 25 points to go with 11 rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots. She made 12-of-19 shots from the field, while the rest of the Lions were just a combined 7-for-42 (16.7-percent).

Stonehill, which bounced back from back-to-back Northeast-10 defeats leading into a 17-day break, finished shooting 37.5-percent (18-for-48), but were 6-for-13 (46.2%) from three-point range, including 4-for-9 (44.4%) in the first half to assist in building a seven-point (27-20) halftime lead. Molloy was held to 31.1% (19-61) shooting, including a mere 2-for-18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc. Both teams committed 20 turnovers, but the Skyhawks posted a 21-13 advantage in points off those turnovers. 

Senior Erin Gray grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in the win.

After trailing by seven at halftime and eight (37-29) with 14:02 to play, Molloy reeled off an 11-0 run to take its largest lead of the game at three points (40-37) after a Woodberry steal and layup with 9:27 left. The Lions held a two-point advantage (45-43) after a Woodberry jumper with 5:48 left in regulation.

Stonehill regained control from there, knocking off seven-straight points, four from Simonds and a three-pointer from Rousseau, to take a five-point lead (50-45) with 3:11 left. Woodberry made one of two at the free-throw line on Molloy's next possession, but the game went scoreless until Simonds made a pair at the stripe to push the Skyhawks lead to six (52-46) with 32-seconds to go that sealed the win. She further iced the victory with two more free-throws after senior Lisa Claxton (Hempstead, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) split two attempts at the line for the Lions with 24-seconds remaining. Neither team made a field goal over the final 3:57 after Rousseau's three to put Stonehill in front for good.

Two-straight three-pointers from Rousseau and senior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) gave Stonehill an early 8-2 lead just over four minutes into the contest. Molloy knotted the score at 17-17 following a 9-2 run capped by a Woodberry jumper with 7:24 left in the first half. The Skyhawks responded with a 10-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to open its largest lead of the night (27-17) after a Gray free-throw with 4:05 to go before halftime. McWhirter sparked the run with a three and posted seven points in all during that stretch. Claxton scored the only field goal by either team over the final 4:05 of the half with a three-pointer with 1:42 on the clock.

Stonehill (9-4, 4-2 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the University of Massachusetts Lowell at 1:30 p.m. Molloy (6-4, 3-2 ECC) visits Georgian Court University on Wednesday at 1 p.m.