EASTON, Mass. (March 10, 2025) – The No. 2 seeded Stonehill College women's basketball team advanced to the semifinal round of the Northeast Conference Championship Tournament, defeating No. 7 seed Wagner College at Merkert Gym, 72-50, Monday night.
 
This marks the Skyhawks' first playoff victory at the Division I level and the first win in postseason play since Stonehill made it to the NE10 Championship game in 2022. The Skyhawks will host an NEC semifinal matchup against No. 5 Le Moyne at Merkert Gym on Thursday at 7 p.m.
 
Leaders
Senior Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) scored a game-high 27 points, going 10-for-17 from the field and 7-of-13 from deep with three assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
 
Sophomore Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.) scored 15 points in the first quarter en route to a 20-point night, shooting an efficient 7-for-11 and 3-for-5 from long range. Paquette also tallied five assists and three rebounds.
 
Senior Maureen Stapleton (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) led all passers with six assists while postgrad Kylie Swider (Portsmouth, R.I.) corralled a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Wagner's Taleah Washington had 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Seahawks.
 
How it Happened
It was all Stonehill in the early going at Merkert gym as the Skyhawks jumped out to a 14-2 lead, making six of their first 10 shots while holding the Seahawks to a 1-for-6 start from the field with three turnovers. Paquette made six of her seven shot attempts in the first quarter, including a 3-for-3 clip from deep, to lead the Skyhawks to a 23-8 first quarter lead.
 
It was Hayward's turn to carry the Skyhawk offense in the second quarter as she scored 13 of the Skyhawks' 18 points in the frame. The senior guard cashed in on three three-pointers and a pair of layups as Stonehill built on its lead, holding a 21-point advantage at the half, 41-20.
 
Starting the second half on a 6-0 run, Stonehill took its largest lead of the game up to that point, 47-20, eventually leading by 23 points, 56-33, at the end of the third. In the fourth quarter, Hayward's seventh three of the game and 27th point put Stonehill ahead 69-41, which would be the biggest Skyhawk lead of the night.
 
Stonehill secured the NEC Quarterfinal round win, 72-50, advancing to the semifinal round for the first time since joining the conference in 2022-23.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill improves to 5-2 all-time against Wagner, including a 3-0 record this year alone. The Skyhawks are now 1-1 all-time in the NEC tournament and 1-0 against the Seahawks in postseason play.
• Hayward scored 20+ points for the 10th time this season and scored in double figures for a team-leading 25th time.
• This was Hayward's fourth game of the season with 7+ three-pointers as she has now tallied 106 on the year, adding to her Stonehill single-season record.
• Hayward's 106 threes ranks sixth all time in a single season in NEC history, trailing the fifth-best mark by just two (108; Kim Mac Millan (LIU) 2000-01).
• Paquette reached at least 10 points for the 10th consecutive game, averaging 18.0 points per game during her scoring streak.
• The Skyhawks had their third-best shooting night of the season, hitting 49.1% (27-55) of their shots from the field and 45.8% (11-24) from three.
• This was the eighth game with 20+ assists for Stonehill, posting an 8-0 record when hitting that mark this season.
• Stonehill is now 9-2 this season when scoring 70+ points.

Up Next

• No. 2 seeded Stonehill women's basketball (16-14, 11-5 NEC) will host No. 5 seeded Le Moyne College (7-23, 6-10 NEC) in the semifinal round of the NEC Championships tournament on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m.

Tickets for home Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets.

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