Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics
Maine
Kimmel's 28 Points Lifts Women's Hoops to Win Over Maine
11/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BANGOR, MAINE (November 23, 2014)—Hannah Kimmel lit up the scoreboard with a career-high 28 points Sunday afternoon as the Sacred Heart women's basketball team squeezed out a 59-58 win over Maine in the final minutes of the game. The win improves the Pioneers to 3-0 on the season, while Maine falls to 1-3.
Both teams played tough defense to open the game with neither team landing a field goal through the first three minutes before Katie Shepard, who recorded nine assists for the second game in a row, hit a triple from the top of the key putting the Pioneers ahead 5-2. The Black Bears came back to tie the score at eight, 13 and 18 before Anna Heise laid one sparking a 10-3 Maine run. With SHU down by five, Kimmel combined a free throw and a three-pointer to bring the Pioneers within one point in the final minute of the half.
Kimmel opened second-half scoring with a jumper a minute and a half in, igniting a nine-point run SHU run that lifted the Pioneers to a 36-28 lead. Maine kept the game close, but Sacred Heart maintained its lead through most of the second half before the Black Bears' Sigi Koizar, who led Maine with 11 points, hit back-to-back shots to tie the game at 50 with 3:13 left to play.
The Black Bears ended their 8-2 run with a 56-54 lead heading into the final minute, but the Pioneers weren't done. With 45 seconds, Kimmel laid one in to tie the game before she picked up a foul and knocked down another foul shot. Koizar put Maine ahead once again 58-57 with 32 seconds left, but with five seconds left Kimmel worked her way past two defenders driving the lane for the winning bucket.
Sacred Heart returns home Sunday, Nov. 30 when they host Lehigh at 1:00 p.m. in the first women's/men's doubleheader of the season.
