Providence College Athletics
Providence College
4-5
St. Bonaventure
3-7
Women's Basketball Defeats St. Bonaventure, 65-60
12/28/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2002
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The Providence College women's basketball team defeated St. Bonaventure, 65-60, on Saturday, December 28 in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Sophomore guard Michal Epstein (Rehovot, Israel) scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Friars. Sophomore forward Jessica Simmonds (South Orange, N.J.) finished with her first double-double of the season as she added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Eight of Simmonds' 12 points came from the free-throw line (8-10).
The Friars entered halftime with a 33-19 advantage as Epstein lit up the Bonnies for 15 first-half points. Meanwhile, the Friar defense held St. Bonaventure to just four field goals. The Bonnies scored 10 of their 19 first half points from the free-throw line as the Friars held St. Bonaventure to four-of-21 (19.0 percent) shooting from the field. Meanwhile, PC connected on 14-of-27 attempts from the field for a shooting percentage of 51.9 percent.
In the second half, the Bonnies cut the Friar's lead to seven (35-27) as they started the half on a 8-0 run. PC halted the run at the 15:14 mark with a jumper by senior guard Brooke Freeburg (Waterford, Pa.). With 3:02 remaining in the game, St. Bonaventure got within four points (54-50) on a layup by Courtney Mattingly, but PC's Jessica Simmonds connected on two free-throws with 2:53 remaining on the clock to push the Friar lead to six (56-50). The Bonnies would get as close at three points on two occasions at the 1:37 mark and 1:17 mark, respectively, but PC would hold on down the stretch as it connected on six-of-seven free-throw attempts to ice the game. St. Bonaventure outscored Providence 41-32 in the second half.
The Bonnies were led by Mattingly's 22 points. Guard Lyndsey Maurer added 15 points for St. Bonaventure. For PC, freshman guard Elaine McCants (Boston, Mass.) connected on a career-high nine points and five assists. All five of McCant's assists were recorded in the first half of play, and also marked a game-high.
Providence (4-5) will return to action on Monday, December 30 in Providence, R.I. as the Friars host Marist College in a non-conference game at Alumni Hall's Mullaney Gymnasium. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. St. Bonaventure dropped it's seventh-consecutive game and falls to 3-7 on the season.
