2012 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament - Quarterfinal
Sunday, February 26 | 1:00 pm
Moore Fieldhouse | New Haven, CT
Saint Rose (18-9) at #20 Southern Connecticut State (22-4)
Game Coverage: Live Video | Saint Rose Game Notes
ALBANY - The College of Saint Rose will be seeking its sixth berth in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament when the Golden Knights head to #20 Southern Connecticut State University for a quarterfinal contest today. Tip-off has been set for 1:00 pm at Moore Fieldhouse. The game can be seen live via the web at
www.sportingnewsct.com with Don Boyle calling the play-by-play action.
THE SERIES
Today marks the 26th meeting between the two clubs. The Owls own a 15-10 lead in the all-time series, although Saint Rose has won three of the last four encounters following a 71-65 triumph in Albany on February 4. The last time the two squads met in the NE-10 Tournament was in the 2006 title game that Southern Connecticut State won 60-51.
LAST MEETING
Saint Rose used an 11-1 run midway through the second half and outscored visiting Southern Connecticut State 25-10 from the foul line to snap the Owls' 15-game win streak with a 71-65 victory on February 4 in Albany. Senior guard
Ashley Rath and junior forward
Maria Sanchez Gonzalez led the Golden Knights. The latter recorded a “double-double” behind 10 points and a season-best 18 rebounds, while Rath tossed in a game-high 28 points via 9-for-15 shooting from the floor. Rath subsequently capped the aforementioned run with a pair of free throws that made it 58-50 Saint Rose with 9:13 remaining. The Owls refused to go quietly though and were within four on three occasions throughout the ensuing six minutes. They then got to within a bucket after sophomore center Moni Smith-Ocran finished in the paint and junior forward Keshia Primo went 1-for-2 from the foul line to make it a 67-65 ballgame with 38 seconds remaining. However, Sanchez went 1-for-2 from the line after being immediately fouled while hauling in Primo's miss and then junior forward
Emily Trapp canned a pair. Sanchez added another in the final 10 seconds while Southern Connecticut State came up empty on its final two possessions.
SCOUTING SAINT ROSE (18-9)
The Golden Knights have won nine of their last 12 games. Saint Rose concluded an impressive 2011-12 home slate with a 14-1 record following Friday's NE-10 first round triumph. From an overall standpoint, Saint Rose yields just 55.0 points per-game, which ranks second in the NE-10. The Golden Knights are limiting opponents to a league-low 34.4 percent shooting from the floor. Saint Rose additionally paces the NE-10 in blocks (4.5 bpg) and 3FG% (35.8). Rath was chosen as a first-team All-Conference pick for the second year in a row on Thursday. She has been in twin-figures in 18 straight games and is currently second in the league in scoring behind 18.1 points per-game. Rath is furthermore second in the NE-10 in 3FG% (43.5) and is fifth in FT% (88.5). She is sixth all-time in program annals with 1,441 career points. Polce became just the fourth player in school history to earn a nod on the league's All-Rookie squad. She is contributing 6.9 points and 3.9 assists throughout 26 starts. The latter is tied for the conference's seventh-highest mark. Shajuyigbe and Johnson are tossing in 10.9 and 9.0 points on a regular basis. Johnson paces the NE-10 in blocks (2.2 bpg) and is seventh in rebounding (8.9 rpg).
SCOUTING #20 SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE (22-4)
The Owls have won five straight since Saint Rose broke their 15-game win streak back on February 4. It marked the longest string of victories since the 2006-07 campaign. Southern Connecticut is ranked #20 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll. Senior guard Sylvonia Moore and junior guard Camille Fantini were both named to the All-Conference squads on Thursday. Moore, a second-team pick, leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and is second steals (3.0 spg). The latter ranks third in the NE-10. A third-team selection, Fantini paces the conference in steals (3.5 spg) and is second behind Moore in scoring (12.5 ppg). The Owls are ranked seventh in the country (Division II) in turnover margin (+6.8) and eighth in steals (14.2).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the game are $7 for adults, $4 for children and seniors; and $1 for students from other NE-10 institutions.
