MUSZYNSKI, O’BRIEN LEAD SAINTS PAST ALFRED 64-26

Dec. 11: Height made a difference Saturday as St. Lawrence University’s women’s basketball team completed a sweep of its home opening weekend series with a 64-26 blowout of Alfred University.

Four Saint players who are six feet tall or taller combined for 42 points as the Saints ran out to a 16-point halftime lead and never looked back as the Saxons scored just eight second half points.

Andrea Muszynski scored a dozen points and had four rebounds and Kelly O’Brien had 13 points and seven rebounds to pace the Saint attack while two other six-footers, Nora Curley and Meredith Pridgen combined for 17 points. Curley scored eight, hitting four of six from the field and Pridgen had nine and added six rebounds for the Saints. Guards Brittaney Gaetano and Jess Smith had just two points between them, but dished the ball inside for a dozen assists, Gaetano coming up with a season-high eight.

The Saints actually trailed through the first ten minutes of the game, taking their first lead on Muszynski’s layup with 9:33 to go. They never again trailed, opening a ten point lead in under two minutes and the lead dipped below ten just once, 21-12 with 5:27 to go in the half.

Alfred scored the first points of the second half on Meghan Coddington’s layup 55 seconds in, but did not score again for over 11:30 and the Saints rolled to a comfortable 34-point lead to put the game away.

The Saints, now 2-4, are off for exams and the Christmas holidays before returning to action against Kenyon College in the Grand Canyon Classic on December 29. Alfred is now 3-4 on the season.

GAETANO LEADS SAINTS TO 1ST WIN, 64-54 OVER ITHACA

Dec. 10: Sophomore guard Brittany Gaetano led four players in double figures with 14 points as St. Lawrence University’s women’s basketball team turned back Ithaca College 64-54 for Jennifer Kroll’s first victory as Saint women’s basketball coach.

The Saints, now 1-4, won the first game played in the newly renovated Burkman Gymnasium and will host Alfred University at 1 p.m. Saturday as part of a doubleheader plus the official dedication of the renovated gym.

The Saints led 37-36 after a back-and-forth first half. Ithaca jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but the Saint methodically worked their way back into it with Gaetano scoring nine of her 14 points in the first half.

Ithaca went nearly five minutes without a point midway through the half and the Saints turned a 19-14 deficit into a 24-19 lead with a 10-0 run during that span. Jessica Zuk’s three pointer gave the Saints a 37-34 lead with 32 seconds to go in the half, but Ithaca’s Stephanie Cleary scored with 12 seconds left to make it a one-point game at the half.

The Saints suffered through a five minute scoring drought early in the second half, but only fell behind by three. The Saints took the lead for good midway through the second half and slowly pulled away as Ithaca scored just six points in the final 8:42 of the game.

Zuk, Jamie Wolff and Meredith Pridgen scored 11 each for the Saints while Kelly O’Brien chipped in eight. Pridgen and Wolfe had five rebounds each while Gaetano dished out six assists and Kelly O'Brien had three steals. Cleary, Alex Ivansheck and Sue Kelly scored 12 each for the Bombers, now 3-4.