Syracuse, N.Y. – Kiana Steinauer registered a double-double to lead Southern Connecticut State University to a 58-55 come-from-behind victory over Le Moyne College in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Ted Grant Court.
Senior forward
Joanna Dobrovosky (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) led the Dolphins in the loss with 15 points, 12 of which came in the second half, while adding five rebounds and a game-high four rebounds. Sophomore guard
McKayla Roberts (North Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) tallied 10 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
Steinauer's double-double consisted of 16 points and 12 rebounds, including 13 points and eight rebounds in the second half. Murphy Murad scored all 10 of her points in the second half, while dishing out three assists.
After the teams split the first 16 points of the game, the Dolphins scored six straight points. Dobrovosky recorded a conventional three-point play and then Roberts nailed a three-pointer with 3:12 left in the quarter.
The Owls got three-pointers from Chandler Williams and Amanda Pfohl around two free throws by senior forward
Courtney Webster (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) to get within 16-14 after the opening quarter. Pfohl's three-pointer came as the time expired in the period.
The teams went back and forth over the opening eight minutes of the second quarter, with Le Moyne's lead bouncing between one and four points.
After Miranda Crenshaw made a jumper to get the Owls within 22-21 with 2:50 left in the half, the Dolphins scored the final five points to take a 27-21 lead into halftime. Webster made a lay-up with 40 seconds left and then senior guard
Ellie Leszyk (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) buried a three-pointer with three seconds remaining.
Following a basket by Abby Hurlbert to start the quarter's scoring, Le Moyne scored seven straight points to take its largest lead of the contest. Roberts made a jumper, junior guard
Madison Purcell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Catholic Central) followed with a jumper and then senior forward
Nicole Riddick (Albany, N.Y./Colonie/UMass Lowell) drained a three-pointer to force a timeout by the Owls with 7:51 left.
After four points from each team over the next three minutes, Southern Connecticut State scored seven straight points and 15 of the next 20 to get within 43-42 with 41 seconds left in the third. Williams, Hurlbert and Murad each hit three-pointers in the span, while Imani Wheeler made two lay-ups and Steinauer started the streak with a fast-break lay-up off a steal.
Dobrovosky made a lay-up with six seconds left in the quarter to give the Dolphins a 45-42 lead after 30 minutes.
The teams alternated 7-0 runs in the fourth quarter. After Dobrovosky gave the Dolphins a 47-42 lead with 8:27 to play, the Owls ran off seven straight points to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Steinauer started the run with a lay-up, Wheeler followed with a fast-break jumper, Steinauer tied the score with a free throw and then gave her team the lead with a lay-up with 6:26 remaining.
The Dolphins answered back with seven straight points of their own. Dobrovosky made a jumper and two free throws to give the Dolphins the lead and then fed Leszyk for a three-pointer from the left corner for a 54-49 advantage with 3:22 to play. That basket would be Le Moyne's last of the contest though.
The third 7-0 streak of the quarter proved to be the difference as the Owls took the lead for good. Steinauer made two free throws 22 seconds apart to get the Owls within three. She then made a lay-up with 1:16 to play to make it a one-point Le Moyne lead. After a Le Moyne miss, Steinauer converted two foul shots for the lead with 42 seconds remaining. Following another Le Moyne miss, Murad went 1-for-2 at the foul line for a two-point edge with 16 ticks left. The Dolphins had a chance to tie the score with 10 seconds left, but Roberts was only able to convert the second of two foul shots. Murad finished off the game's scoring with two free throws with seven seconds left.
Roberts' three-point attempt to try to tie the score was unsuccessful as time expired.
Le Moyne (2-2, 1-1 NE10), which has dropped four straight games to the Owls and six of the last seven meetings, returns to the hardwood on Tuesday at Adelphi University at 5:30 p.m.