EASTON, Mass. (March 13, 2025) – The No. 2 seeded Stonehill College women's basketball team clinched its first-ever appearance in the Northeast Conference Championship game, defeating No. 5 seed Le Moyne College, 60-41, at Merkert Gymnasium Thursday night in the semifinal round.
 
In just their third season at the Division I level as members of the Northeast Conference, the Skyhawks will play for a conference title against the No. 1 seeded FDU Knights in Hackensack, N.J. on Sunday.
 
Leaders
Sophomore Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.) led all scorers with 19 points, 13 of which came in the fourth, as she went 6-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from deep, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. Paquette also recorded eight rebounds, two assists, and a game-high four steals.
 
Graduate student Kylie Swider (Portsmouth, R.I.) recorded her 10th career double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, making 8-of-15 shots with one block.
 
Senior Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) scored 11 points in the first quarter, finishing with 15 in the game with three rebounds and an assist.
 
Freshman Megan Sias (Toms River, N.J.) and senior Maureen Stapleton (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) each had five assists to lead all passers.
 
How it Happened

The Skyhawks started the game on a 15-0 run with Le Moyne missing its first eight shots of the game while Hayward cashed in on a trio of threes to lead Stonehill with nine points during the run. The Dolphins made their final three shots of the first quarter but the Skyhawks remained in front by 15, 22-7.
 
Le Moyne would convert on its first three shots of the second to start the quarter on a 9-4 run, cutting into the Skyhawk lead, 26-16. A three-pointer from Sias ended the Dolphins' run and the Skyhawks went into the halftime break leading by 11, 31-20. Hayward led all scorers with 11 first-half points.
 
Swider excelled on both ends in the third quarter, scoring eight of the Skyhawks' 12 points with four rebounds as Stonehill held Le Moyne to three made shots on 10 attempts in the quarter. Stonehill increased its lead to 14, 43-29, heading into the fourth.
 
Paquette took over in the fourth to put the game out of reach, going 4-of-7 with three three-pointers to score 13 of the Skyhawks' 17 points. The Stonehill defense continued to shine, holding the Dolphins to a 5-for-16 shooting quarter with just 12 points. The Skyhawks secured the 60-41 win to earn a spot in the NEC Championship on Sunday.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill improves to 29-14 all-time against Le Moyne, including a 2-5 at the Division I level. The Skyhawks are now 2-1 all-time in the NEC tournament and 1-1 against the Dolphins in postseason play.
• Paquette reached at least 10 points for the 11th consecutive game, averaging 18.1 points per game during her scoring streak.
• Hayward scored in double figures for a team-leading 26th time this season.
• Hayward knocked down three three-pointers, adding to her Stonehill single-season record of 109 makes from deep.
• Hayward's 109 threes ranks fifth all time in a single season in NEC history.
• Stonehill had its third-best defensive performance of the season, holding Le Moyne to a 29.1% (16-55) shooting clip from the field.
• Stonehill also recorded its second-most offensive rebounds in a game this season, tallying 16 en route to a 44-35 rebounding advantage over the Dolphins.

Up Next

• No. 2 seeded Stonehill women's basketball (17-14, 10-5 NEC) will travel to Hackensack, N.J. on Sunday, March 16, to take on the No. 1 seeded FDU Knights (28-3, 16-0 NEC) at the Bogota Savings Bank Center at noon on ESPNU.
   

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