New Haven, Conn. – Maria Weselyj tallied 17 points off the bench to lead Southern Connecticut State University to a 68-57 win over the Le Moyne College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action at Moore Field House.
Senior forward
Maggie Brown (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) led the Dolphins in the loss with her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, 11 of which came on the offensive end. With the 14 rebounds, she moved from 13th to 10th on the career rebounds list with 584, the third-most by a Dolphin over the last 11 seasons.
Weselyj recorded 13 of her game-high point total in the second half, while adding a pair of rebounds. Jackie Beathea registered 11 points and 10 rebounds for her conference-best 18th double-double of the season, the fifth-most in the country. Nicole Grossbard and Taylor McLaughlin also scored 11 points each.
The Owls opened the game with seven of the first nine points over 4:44 on baskets from Beathea, Weselyj and Paige Decker.
The teams traded points over the remainder of the quarter as the Owls took a 13-9 lead into the second quarter. Brown recorded four of Le Moyne's nine points in the period.
Southern Connecticut State scored nine of the first 13 points of the second quarter to take a 22-13 lead. The final six points in the span were scored by McLaughlin.
The Dolphins answered with seven straight points to get within two points with 2:39 left. Brown scored the first five points and then sophomore forward
Corinne Poitevien (Bardonia, N.Y./Paramus Catholic (N.J.)) made a lay-up.
The Owls pushed their lead back to seven before sophomore guard
Ellie Leszyk (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) ended the half's scoring with a three-pointer.
Le Moyne registered the first five points of the third quarter to take its only lead of the game. Sophomore forward
Joanna Dobrovosky (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) made a fast-break lay-up and then senior guard
Vandell Andrade (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's-Bay View) put the Dolphins in front with a conventional three-point play with 7:19 left.
The Owls responded with 12 straight points and 17 of the next 19 points to take control of the game. Weselyj scored seven points in the 12-0 streak and nine points in the entire run, while McLaughlin and Decker each buried three-pointers.
Andrade made a lay-up and freshman guard
Melanie Quijano (San Diego, Calif./Horizon Christian) drained a three-pointer to get the Dolphins within 44-35, but Danielle Powell made a jump shot to give the Owls an 11-point lead after 30 minutes.
After the teams split the first 12 points of the fourth quarter, the Owls netted seven straight points to take a game-high 18 point lead with 3:38 left. Beathea recorded four of the seven points.
Following back-and-forth play over the next 2:18, the Dolphins recorded nine of the game's final 12 points.
Le Moyne (13-12, 10-9 NE-10) wraps up the regular season on Tuesday at the University of New Haven at 5:30 p.m. With a victory over the Chargers, the Dolphins will claim the Southwest Division's second seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. If the Dolphins fall to the Chargers, they will be either the third, fourth or fifth seed, based on the results of the American International at Adelphi and Southern Connecticut State at Pace games.
