SENIORS LEAD SAINTS TO PLAYOFF BERTH;

TOP HAMILTON 59-36

Feb. 16: In their last home game of their careers, the class of 2008 led the St. Lawrence women’s basketball team to a 59-36 win over Liberty League opponent Hamilton College Saturday afternoon in Burkman Gymnasium, earning a spot in the 2008 Liberty League tournament while snapping the Continentals’ five game winning streak.

The Saints, now 19-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference, avenged their loss to the Continentals earlier in the season and earned their fifth consecutive win as Hamilton fell to 13-8 overall and 8-3 in the league. The Saints move to second place in the standings with two games remaining in the regular season, while the Continentals remain in third with three games to play.

Hamilton took an early lead in a half that included 29 turnovers as both teams tried to solve each other’s defense. The Continentals were able to hold on to an edge for the first 10:26 of the half, leading by as many as five, but the Saints kept it within two possessions and took control of the game after senior co-captain Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) sunk a three to give the Saints their first lead of the game. Wolff’s shot sparked a 20-8 Saints run in the last ten minutes of the half to give St. Lawrence a 29-18 advantage over the Continentals.

The Scarlet and Brown never relinquished their lead, as it managed to double in the second half. The Saints contained Hamilton to shoot 4-for-24 (17-percent) from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Ten of the Continentals points in the final minutes came from free throws. Hamilton’s tough defense was able to keep the Saints at just 26-percent in the last period.

Fifteen of Wolff’s game-high 23 total points came in the first half, where she also shot 6-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. The Saints shot 50-percent from the floor and from behind the arc in the first period of the contest to help push past the Continentals.

Senior co-captain Kim Sikule (Westerlo, NY/Berne-Knox Westerlo) had 12 points and four steals in the contest, as the guard shot 4-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, while maintaining perfection from the line. Classmate Amy Fortener (Peachtree City, GA/Our Lady of Mercy) was instrumental on fast breaks for the Saints and in halting the Continentals’ game inside the paint.

Leading the Continentals was Pumla Sathula with 13 points, while teammate Sydney Fasulo grabbed a game high nine boards.

St. Lawrence will travel to Poughkeepsie, NY on Friday to face Vassar College in Liberty League play. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm.