Press Release

BALANCED SCORING LEADS PURPLE KNIGHT WOMEN PAST PACE Dani Rayner nets game-high 16 in final regular-season contest FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION February 24, 2004                                                                               Contact: Seth Cole Courtesy Pace Sports Information                                                        Phone: (802) 654-2537 PLEASANTVILLE, NY- The Pace University women’s basketball team lost their final regular-season game to Saint Michael’s, 57-54, on Tuesday. Pace drops to 12-15 overall and 9-13 in the Northeast-10 Conference. Saint Michael’s improves to 11-15 overall and 7-15 in conference play, and enters the playoffs as the No. 11 seed. The Purple Knights will visit sixth-seeded Assumption College on Sunday at 2 p.m. Pace trailed at halftime, 32-24. Saint Michael’s jumped out to a 11-2 lead with 15:53 left to play and would eventually push their lead to 11 points, 16-5, with 11:39 left.  Pace would battle back to within three points, 18-15, with eight minutes to play, but the Purple Knights outscored the Setters, 14-9, to close the half up eight points. The second half saw both teams trading hoops, while Pace never gained the lead. The closest they came was one point, when Liran Buchris (Massad, Israel) hit on a 3-pointer with four minutes to play. It stayed a one-point game until senior Lindsey Bradt (Albany, N.Y./Hudson Valley CC) hit two free throws with two seconds remaining to give Saint Michael’s a three-point lead. Jen Kauffman’s  (Altoona, Pa.) desperation shot was too high as it soared over the backboard. For Pace, Nicola Mignott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in her last performance at home. Hannah Sheppard (Norwich, Conn.) finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Buchris totaled nine points, five rebounds and two assists. For Saint Michael’s, Bradt finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) finished with a game-high 16 points, as well as eight rebounds and five assists. Rayner hit on 6-of-12 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from long range. For the game, both team’s shot an identical 35.5 percent (22-62) from the field. While Pace hit one more 3-pointer, St. Michael’s converted on four more free throws.  ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

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