Box
Score
Throggs Neck, N.Y. - Four
players in double-figures helped first-year head coach Barb
Bausch (Yorba Linda, Calif.) to her first win at the helm
of the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's basketball
program. The Seahawks posted an 80-53 season-opening win over
California Maritime Academy in the opening round of the SUNY
Maritime Tip-Off Tournament Friday afternoon.
St. Mary's (1-0) will face the Maine Maritime Academy, a 78-66
winner over Johnson & Wales University, in Saturday's
championship match-up.
The Seahawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening half before
Lauren Westbrook connected on a three-pointer at 18:55 to
put Cal Maritime on the board. However, that is as close as
the Keelhaulers (1-3) would get as St. Mary's used a 14-7 run to
post a 20-10 margin at the 11:58-mark. SMCM would lead by
double-digits for the rest of the contest, leading by 19 (37-18)
with five minutes left before halftime.
St. Mary's owned a 39-28 halftime lead as junior forward
Kiely Murphy (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) and
sophomore guard Steph Saint-Aubin (Bowie,
Md./Elizabeth Seton) each tallied eight points.
The Seahawks continued to build their in the second half,
boasting a 29-point margin at the 2:39-mark and again with 1:30
remaining in the game. The SMCM defense held Cal Maritime
0-of-8 from downtown.
Murphy and Saint-Aubin each finished the game with 15 points for
St. Mary's, while junior forward Allie Scott
(Laurel, Md./Atholton) contributed a double-double on 12 points and
a game-high dozen rebounds. Freshman center Tiara
Hurte (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) added 10 points and nine
boards in her first career start.
As a team, St. Mary's notched a 45.5-field goal percentage,
including 46.2% from behind the three-point arc, while making
14-of-21 free throw shots.
The Keelhaulers had three in double digits with Nakia
Watson leading the way with a game-high 19 points, eight
caroms, five steals, and four assists, while Keniya
Thurman had 11 and Jessica Dillman added 10.
