PROVIDENCE, R.I. (December 6, 2014)—Alissa Tarsi (Clinton, N.J.) led the Pioneers with a career-best 18 points as the Sacred Heart women's basketball team fell to Brown 66-56 in the opening game of the 2014 Brown Classic. The junior shot 61.5% (8-for-13) from the field as the loss drops SHU to 4-2, and snaps Brown's (2-6) six game slide.
The Pioneers jumped out to an early 5-2 lead with Tarsi accounting for SHU's first four points. Three minutes into the game Brown's Megan Reilly evened the score at five before an Adaysha Williams (LaCrosse, Wis.) jumper sparked a 6-2 run lifting Sacred Heart to an 11-7 lead.
Jordin Alexander, who led the game with 21 points, and Rebecca Musgrove combined for five points to once again put the Bears up 12-11 before the 10-minute mark. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half with the score tying at 17, 22 and 29.
With seven seconds remaining in the half, Elise Sharp broke the score in Brown's favor with a layup. With just seconds left, a called foul on Hannah Kimmel (Harpursville, N.Y.), who tallied 11 points in the game, sent Sophie Bikofsky to the line for two. Making them both, the senior sent the Bears into the break with a 33-29 lead.
Sacred Heart came out on fire starting the second half with eight straight points forcing Brown Head Coach Sarah Behn to call a timeout. The Pioneers held the Bears scoreless for nearly the first four minutes before Reilly sunk one of two shots from the charity stripe with 16:18 on the clock.
Despite SHU not allowing a field goal until 14:40, the Bears worked their way back in the game and took a 41-49 lead thanks to a 7-0 run before the 11:55 media timeout.
Shelby Hickey (Littleton, Colo.) knotted the score at 41 with a jumper, but that didn't stop the Brown offense who extended its lead to 10 points, 57-47, on an Alexander free throw. The Pioneers managed to hold the Bears while they minimized the gap the 57-53, but couldn't overcome the deficit before the final buzzer.
The Pioneers will complete play in the Brown Classic Sunday at 2:00 p.m. against St. Bonaventure or Drexel.
