SHU Wins Fourth-Straight, 59-43, Over Wagner in NEC Tilt
12/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2002
FAIRFIELD, CT (December 14, 2002) - The Sacred Heart women's basketball team picked up their fourth-straight victory and opened the Northeast Conference portion of their schedule with a 59-43 win over visiting Wagner College Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers played some tough defense, holding the Seahawks to just 36.7% (18-49) from the field and 12.5% (1-8) from behind the three-point arc while outrebounding Wagner, 40-28 on the day. Senior Ashley Durmer (Nashua, NH) hit for 16 points, tying her season-high, and grabbed six rebounds to pace SHU to the win.
Durmer finished four-of-nine and three-of-six from behind the arc on the afternoon to lead all scorers. Freshman Nicolle Rubino (Port Jefferson Station, NY) turned in another solid effort for the Pioneers. The freshman guard finished with 13 points and four rebounds in the win.
Both teams combined to turn the ball over 45 times on the afternoon, but the Pioneers were the one's who took advantage, converting 22 Seahawk turnovers into 17 points on the other end. SHU was also dominant in the paint, scoring 32 of their 59 points inside while finishing the day shooting 43.1% as a team. Wagner was hurt all afternoon by poor shooting, hitting just 18-of-49 (36.7%) shots and struggling from the free throw line, making just 6-of-13 (46.2%).
On the day that senior Brooke Kelly (Medford, NJ) would be honored for scoring her 1,000th-point earlier in the season, the forward from Medford, NJ would struggle on the afternoon. Kelly finished with just eight points, breaking a streak of 12-consecutive games where she managed double digits dating back to last season. What she lacked in scoring, she made up for elsewhere, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and handing out a team-high four assists to help the Pioneers pick up the win.
Fellow senior and co-captain, Brooke Rutnik (Albany, NY) failed to net a basket for the first time in 27 games dating back to last season's 75-42 loss at Cincinnati. Rutnik was limited to just 16 minutes, four in the first half, because of foul trouble, and finished 0-of-five from the field. She did come away with six rebounds and a block on the day. Sophomore point guard Allie Bagnell (Newtown, PA) had a strong all around game, scoring six points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing two assists and swiping a career-high six steals.
Wagner, now 1-4 and 0-1 in the NEC, got 14 points from junior Carrie Walker who also added five rebounds. Sophomore Leeah Thomas finished with 10 points and a team-high seven boards in the loss.
With today's win, the Pioneers move to 4-1 and 1-0 in conference play and will return to action in one week as they travel to Milwaukee, WI to take on Marquette University at 4 pm CST.
