Saints Top Dutchwomen, 63-52, Earning No. 2 Seed in Conference Tournament
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Whit Haynes '10Senior captain Brittany Parham earned a game-high 19 points on her senior night vs. Union.
Feb. 20: The St. Lawrence University women's basketball team, led by senior captain Brittany Parham who earned a game-high19 points, defeated Union College, 63-52, Saturday to earn the No. 2 seed going into the Liberty League Tournament. The Saints will be matched up against Rensselaer in the first game of the Tournament.
The Saints finish the regular season with a 18-6 (10-4) overall record, while the Dutchwomenend with a 7-17 (5-9) mark.
Parham shot 6-of-10 Saturday to lead the Saints, including 2-of-3 from the arc and 5-of-7 from the line. Sophomore Iris Santoni and senior captain Abby Stanton followed with 11 points each. Stanton also picked up a game-high nine rebounds, while sophomore Nyasha Miller added a game-high four steals. Santoni and Miller also contributed a game-high four assists. Union's Lauren McCormick led her team with 17 points off 7-of-18 shooting, supported by teammate Megan Clark who earned 10 points. Rachel Titcomb also racked up a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high four assists.
The opening seven minutes of the first half was a tight battle between the Saints and the Dutchwomen, with the lead changing twice and the score being tied three times. With 13:11 on the clock, sophomore Katherine Edgerton drained a three to spark a 7-0 run for the Saints, extending their advantage by eight points (21-13). However, Union managed to stay in close range, cutting the deficit to six as Beaulac sunk an easy jumper. With 6:27 on the clock, Parham nailed a solid shot from beyond the arc to give St. Lawrence a double-digit lead for the first time in the half (27-15). However, the Dutchwomen picked up momentum in the last five minutes, climbing back to within four points of the Saints, thanks to consistent shooting from Clark, Titcomb and McCormick. Both teams struggled to find the basket in the last two minutes of the frame, but with 56 seconds on the clock, Stanton chipped one in from underneath to put St. Lawrence ahead by six as time ran out. The half concluded with the Saints ahead, 31-25.
The second half proved to be either team's game, but the Scarlet and Brown jumped on the opportunity. Within the first seven minutes, they had increased their advantage to ten points (42-32), due to reliable shooting from Santoni, Stanton, and Miller. The Saints were able to take this momentum and run with it, never allowing the Dutchwomen to break the double-digit barrier for the rest of the game. The Scarlet and Brown played particularly strong defense, holding Union at four points for over six minutes. With 5:46 left in regulation, St. Lawrence led by 21 points off nice threes from Stanton and Parham, as well as solid shooting in the paint from Edgerton and Santoni. The Dutchwomen were able to climb back in the last three minutes of the game as Pepe scored her team's first three-pointer of the contest. A pair of free-throws from Titcomb and solid layups from McCormick and Clark brought the deficit to 11 with seven seconds remaining in regulation, but it wasn't enough to match the score. The Saints walked off the court, celebrating the 63-52 victory.
St. Lawrence will face Rensselaer in the Saints first game of the Liberty League Tournament, Friday, February 26th in Saratoga Springs, NY. Tip-off is yet to be determined.