Press Release

SMC RALLY COMES UP SHORT AGAINST BENTLEY 16-point deficit too much in 56-53 loss FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      FOR MORE INFORMATION January 8, 2004                                                                         Contact: Seth Cole By Josh Kessler ’04                                                                   Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Saint Michael’s College women’s basketball team nearly rallied from a 16-point deficit against No. 18 Bentley College before losing to their Northeast-10 Conference foe, 56-53, at the Ross Sports Center on Thursday. The loss was the third in a row for the Purple Knights, and its 41st in as many all-time meetings with the Falcons. Sophomore Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) hit four three-pointers and had her second 20-point outing in a row for Saint Michael’s (5-7 overall, 2-7 NE-10). Senior Lindsey Bradt (Albany, N.Y./Hudson Valley CC) contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, and freshman Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) notched 10 points, nine boards, three helpers, two blocks and two steals. The Purple Knights starters scored all of the team’s points and combined to play 180 of a possible 200 minutes. As a team, Saint Michael’s shot a season-low 29.5 percent from the field (18-for-61). For Bentley (9-4, 6-2 NE-10), senior Becky Davison (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) notched 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Junior Chante Bonds (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) added 11 points for the Falcons, who shot 21-of-56 from the field (37.5 percent), including one-of-10 from three-point range. Their 19 turnovers also helped keep the Purple Knights in the game. Offense was scarce during the first 16 minutes of the game, as the Purple Knights held a 22-17 lead with 4:06 left in the first half after Bradt nailed her second three-pointer in as many attempts. At that point, Hegarty, Bradt, and Rayner had combined for all of Saint Michael’s points, as well as four assists. That’s when the Falcons came alive, going on a 12-0 run to end the half and lead 29-22. Davison had five of those points, Bonds had four, and junior Morgan DiPietro (Portland, Maine/Greely) picked up three of her game-high five assists. Bentley stormed out of the second-half gate, leading 45-29 with just under 11 minutes remaining thanks to six points apiece from Davison and DiPietro. The Purple Knights swiftly cut into that lead after Hegarty canned two three-pointers in a row and sophomore Holly Reeves (Arlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) knocked one down from long range on the next possession. By 3:58, Hegarty’s third three-pointer of the half brought Saint Michael’s within 51-49. Down 54-49, Hegarty hit a runner at 1:28, and freshman Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) knocked down a pair of free throws with 54 seconds left to make it 54-53. After corralling a rebound off a Bonds’ miss with 31 seconds left, Bradt missed two contested shots in the paint in the waning seconds, with each narrowly missing the bottom of the net after rolling along the rim. Davison grabbed the final rebound with 0.6 seconds left and hit two free throws, and the Purple Knights were unable to fire off another shot. The Falcons return to action Saturday at Saint Anselm College at 1:30 p.m. On Saturday, Saint Michael’s travels to Merrimack College, the top team in the NE-10, for a 1:30 p.m. match up, and returns home for a Wednesday contest with Stonehill College at 5:30 p.m. ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002