Senior Kelsey Simonds posted 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in just 18 minutes of play today at Adelphi.

Stonehill Cruises at Adelphi, 69-43

Simonds leads balanced effort as Skyhawks win eighth-straight

Boxscore 

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (January 23, 2010) - Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, jumped out to a 23-point halftime lead and never looked back in cruising to a 69-43 victory over Adelphi University in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at the Center for Recreation & Sport this afternoon.

Senior Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) led a balanced Stonehill performance with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field while converting 4-of-5 free-throw attempts to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in just 18 minutes. Classmate Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, draining her lone three-point attempt while converting both free-throw attempts to go with six rebounds in 18 minutes. Junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) contributed 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, three assists and two steals over 20 minutes.

No Adelphi players hit for double-figures as freshman Kara Tancredi (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) posted nine points on 4-of-5 shooting while converting her lone three-point attempt to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior Ashley Caiafa (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) also netted nine points to go with three rebounds and two assists, while sophomore Theresa Foley (Lake Grove, N.Y./Centereach) chipped in seven points, a game-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

Senior Erin Gray added 13 points and six boards in 18 minutes.

Stonehill finished shooting 50.9-percent (27-for-53) from the field, including 4-for-9 (44.4%) from three-point range, after using a 58.6% (17-29) shooting effort in the first half to build its 23-point (42-19) halftime lead. The Skyhawks finished with a 37-32 rebounding advantage that resulted in a 17-9 edge in second-chance points, while outscoring Adelphi 19-11 in points off turnovers.

Adelphi finished shooting 32.7-percent (16-for-49) from the field after being limited to 27.6% (8-29) in the first half, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Panthers also converted just 9-of-16 (56.3%) free-throw attempts.

Stonehill never trailed, scoring the first seven points of the contest and never looked back. Adelphi was within four (15-11) with 11:52 to play in the first half, when the Skyhawks reeled off 12-straight points to open a 16-point (27-11) lead after a Rousseau three less than four minutes later. Simonds posted nine points during that stretch, including a conventional three-point play. Stonehill's lead hit 23 points for the first time with a jumper by Anna Griffin (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) with 3:54 left before the break.

Stonehill carried that 23-point lead into the intermission, then pushed it to 29 points (54-25) after a jumper by Amanda Smith (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) 6:23 into the second half. The Skyhawks lead grew to as much as 35 (64-29), when sophomore Laura Discenza (Shelton, Conn./Laurelton Hall) made one of two at the free-throw line with 8:44 remaining, on their way to their eighth-straight victory.

Stonehill (16-4, 11-2 NE-10) is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Le Moyne College at 5:30 p.m. Adelphi (3-15, 0-13 NE-10) visits top-ranked Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.