SHU Women Outlast Lafayette, 75-70; Brooke Kelly Nets 1,000th-point
11/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2002
EASTON, PA (November 26, 2002) - Senior co-captain Brooke Kelly (Medford, NJ) became the ninth member of Sacred Heart's 1,000-point club Tuesday night as the Pioneers posted their first win of the season, 75-70, over Lafayette University. SHU shot 54.8% (17-31) in the first half but were forced to hang on late as the Leopards scored 47 second half points to claw their way back into the game.
Kelly, needing just 13 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, put up 11 points in the first half but it wasn't until 13:50 of the second half that Kelly would hit the mark, knocking down a foul shot to clinch it. "This all just kind of snuck up on me," comment the senior co-captain. "It's a really nice feeling. This is an accomplishment I didn't get to achieve in high school, so that makes it a little more special. I just wish I could have gotten it on our home court." She finished with 21 points to lead all scorers on the evening.
Fellow senior Brooke Rutnik (Albany, NY) had a strong first half, scoring six points, grabbing seven boards and swiping a career high six steals, but was limited to just two minutes in the second half before fouling out. Sacred Heart sophomore Colleen Duggan (Newington, CT) put together the best game of her young career, posting career highs in almost every major category. Duggan finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, seven blocks and two assists, all high-marks in her stint at SHU. Her seven blocks ties the school record for blocks in a game, set by Rutnik against Mount St. Mary' last season.
Lafayette was down by as many as 19 in the second half before ripping off a 15-4 run to cut the lead to eight, 59-51, with 6:17 remaining. Sacred Heart got the lead back to double digits at 66-55 but couldn't hold the advantage as the Leopards cut it to four points three separate times in the last minutes of play. Pioneers Kelly, junior Kate Maher (Waterford, Ireland) and sophomore Allie Bagnell (Newtown, PA) went a combined 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to put the game away.
Maher had a stellar night of her own, netting 16 points, tying her career mark, while grabbing eight rebounds. Freshman Nicolle Rubino (Port Jefferson, NY) followed up her sensational 15-point debut with eight points, two rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of action.
Forward Liz Rojahn finished with a team-high 16 points for Lafayette on 8-of-11 shooting. Guard Lindsay Myers finished with 15 points eight boards and five assists in the loss. Ashley MacLellan and Colleen Fitzpatrick had 12 and 10 points respectively. The Leopards fall to 0-2 to start the season, with both losses coming to Northeast Conference teams. LU lost to Quinnipiac, 80-64, to open their season.
Sacred Heart, now 1-1 on the year, will return to action on Sunday, December 1st as they open the home portion of the 2002-03 schedule taking on the University at Albany at 2 pm. The game is the first half of a double-header with the Sacred Heart men's team taking on Army at 4 pm.
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