By The Beacon Sports Staff

Since the last Beacon, the women’s basketball team has won two and lost one. The two wins come at the expense of the College of Saint Joseph’s of Vermont (80-51) and Vermont Technical College (77-60). The loss comes by the hands of New Hampshire Technical Institute, a 73-47 thrashing in Concord, New Hampshire.

The women’s team traveled to Concord ranked sixth in the latest USCAA coaches poll and was handed just its third Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) loss of the season, 73-47, by the Lynx, who are ranked ninth.

The Lady ‘Wolves grabbed a first quarter lead (13-9), which was generated by freshman center Amanda Brett’s 8 points. After the Lady ‘Wolves drained the first basket of the second quarter, the Lynx lived up to their namesake, outscoring the ‘Wolves 16-3 in one stretch and outscoring SMCC 21-11 for the quarter.

After 20 minutes of play, NHTI held a 9-point lead (30-24); however, once the Lynx opened the floodgates, there seemed to be no stemming the onslaught, as the Lynx would scorch the nets for 25 points in the third quarter besting SMCC’s 12 points by 13.

SMCC center Amanda Brett would bring home top scoring honors with 22; first-year guard Abigail Ramirez finished with nine rebounds, bringing her season total to 122.
Four contributed double-digit point totals for the Lynx were paced by Melissa Martel, who scored 17, and by the conference leading scorer Riselly Deoleo, who posted a 15-point performance while grabbing seven rebounds, five assists, and six steals in a yeoman’s effort.

After the game SMCC remained tied for second spot in the YSCC standings at 11-3 in league action and 16-7 overall. The Lynx shrank SMCC’s lead as they stood at 10-4 in conference, 18-5 after the contest.

Emily Hogan shooting at mid range and getting 2 of her 5 points against the College of St. Joseph. Photo by Jacob Clowes

Two days after suffering their second-lowest offensive output of the season, the ‘Wolves took to the court to play the Fighting Saints of the St. Joseph’s. The ‘Wolves bounced back in splendid fashion, posting an 80-51 win in their next-to-last regular season game.

The Saints opened the game, scoring the first three points. After that, the Lady SeaWolves responded with a 10-point run, netting 23 points in the opening quarter. The first and last lead change of the game was stamped with only a minute or two elapsing on the game clock.

The Fighting Saints were only able to manage two baskets and a free throw in the second quarter. In the SMCC offensive side, Amanda Brett helped to build a 17-point lead for the SeaWolves, as she hit the nets for 9 points on 4-4 shooting.

Brett’s offensive prowess continued in the third quarter: She hit double figures with 10 points, dropping eight out of 10 from the foul line. Outscoring the Saints 19-12 in the third, the ‘Wolves held a 26-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The SeaWolves’ offensive burst continued in the fourth quarter, when they posted their highest scoring for a quarter (24 points) for the season. After 40 minutes of play, the ‘Wolves would walk off the court with an 80-51 win, holding the Fighting Saints to 21 points less than their average.

SMCC’s point guard Abigail Ramirez, turned in a stellar performance, proving how effective she can be on both sides of the basketball. Ramirez finished the game with 18 points and six steals, and she had grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds over 38 minutes of play. Amanda Brett netted 27 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. This was her second consecutive 20-point performance, as her 13 points from the foul line helped her cause.

In Saturday’s action against Vermont Tech, the ‘Wolves outlasted a pesky team that they had beat down severely on Vermont’s home court, 73-42. This go-around would be different, as the Knights hung close through close to three quarters of play.

After ten minutes of play, the ‘Wolves held a 3-point lead (16-13) and a 6-point lead at the half. Jordan Farquharson lead the team with 6 points in the first quarter, as Abigail Ramirez and Alicia Ruth hit the nets for nine apiece. Emily Emerson added four for the ‘Wolves’ 22-point quarter.

The third quarter saw the Lady ‘Wolves outscore the Knights by 10 and build a 15-point lead after three quarters of play. Jordan Farquharson’s 8 points lead the scoring for the ‘Wolves.

Lauryn Fagan pushing her way to the paint with power, looking for that layup and getting two rebounds against the Knights. Photo by Jacob Clowes

With 10 minutes to play, the ‘Wolves would outscore the Knights by 2, securing a 16-point win and providing themselves with some momentum for Monday night’s game against CMCC.

While results from Monday’s game cannot be posted in this issue of The Beacon, since they became available after our deadline, the Lady ‘Wolves have positioned themselves to make a serious run in the YSCC Elite Eight Tournament.

The Beacon wishes the Lady SeaWolves the best of luck in Concord.