ALBANY, N.Y.- The College of Saint Rose fought to a 59-58 result against Roberts Wesleyan tonight, with the visiting Redhawks earning the victory in a closely fought match-up that featured nine tied scores and 13 lead changes.
The Golden Knights (2-5) were paced by 14 points from sophomore forward
Naeva Rene to go along with 12 points and eight rebounds tallied by fifth year forward
Nina Fedullo. Fedullo was especially active on the offensive glass, as seven of her eight boards extended Golden Knight possessions. Junior forward
Becca Townes also added 10 points and six assists.
The front court duo of Rene and Fedullo combined for 16 points in the opening half as the Golden Knights were able to find quality shots in the paint, finishing the first 20 minutes shooting 50.0 percent (15-of-30) from the floor as a team to own a four-point advantage at the break.
The Redhawks (3-4) used an 8-0 rally in the late stages of the third to close the frame with a 45-42 lead. Roberts Wesleyan held the shooting advantage in the quarter, as the Redhawks shot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) on their attempts compared to the 15.0 percent (3 of 20) success rate of the Golden Knights.
With 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, sophomore guard
Ashia Smith converted a floater in the lane to edge the Golden Knights ahead 58-57, a score that would hold until a whistle against Saint Rose sent sophomore guard Georgia Haverlock to the line for two free-throws with eight seconds left on the clock. After Haverlock knocked down both attempts, the Redhawks survived an open 3-pointer from freshman
Ryley Blasetti that missed as time expired, capping a seesaw fourth that saw the lead exchange on six different occasions.
Haverlock finished with a game-high 18 points for Roberts Wesleyan. Sophomore guard Toni Neely-Primus and senior forward Dimitra Gkizani reached double-figures as well with 14 and 10 points respectively. The Redhawks won the close game at the free throw line, finishing a perfect 10 of 10 from the stripe as team.
The Golden Knights will next compete in the AIC Holiday Classic, facing off against Georgian Court on December 18 and Saint Michael's on December 19. Both match-ups are scheduled for a 5:30 pm tip-off in Springfield, Mass. Roberts Wesleyan continues the weekend at home on Sunday against D'Youville at 2:00 pm.
Notes: The young Saint Rose roster features eight freshmen, four sophomores, three juniors, and one fifth-year…Fedullo averages team-highs of 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, with the latter marking the second-best rate in the NE10…Townes scores 9.3 points and pulls down 4.9 boards per game...Townes also ranks fifth in the league with a 2.4 steals average…As a team, the Golden Knights rank third in the conference with 9.1 swipes on a nightly basis.
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