Bethany Plasski leads Greyhound women's basketball to seventh straight win, 67-50, over Saint Michael's

January 10, 2008

ASSUMPTION 67, SAINT MICHAEL'S 50

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Junior guard/captain BETHANY PLASSKI (Fall River, MA/Durfee) scored 23 points and the Assumption College women's basketball team erupted in the second half en route to a convincing 67-50 Northeast-10 Conference win over Saint Michael's College THURSDAY at the Laska Gym.

The Greyhounds are now 14-3 overall (most wins by any Northeast-10 team) and have tied the team record for consecutive wins with seven straight---the first time since they opened the 2001-02 season with seven straight wins---and 10 of their last 11. They also won seven straight in both 1990-91 and 1999-00. They are now 8-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference to move into sole possession of second place. Saint Michael's falls to 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the conference.

Assumption had an amazing 25 assists on 26 field goals in running its Laska Gym record to 7-0.

The Purple Knights led by sophomore forward MICHELLE OTEY (Southboro, MA/Algonquin) (10 points, 5 rebounds) moved to a 29-26 first-half advantage. A layin by Plasski (who led the Greyhounds with 14 points in the first half) off an assist by senior forward SARA CZARNECKI (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) cut the gap to three points.

The Greyhounds started the second half with a 19-5 run to move from a three-point deficit to an 11-point lead, 45-34, with 11:59 remaining. Saint Michael's was held to seven-for-24 floor accuracy in the second half (.292), while the Greyhounds heated up, making 17-of-29 (.586) floor opportunities and all three of their three-point attempts.

A layin off the second-half tap by Plasski and a three-pointer, also by Plasski, sandwiched around a layup by Saint Michael's senior center AMY PITCHERS (Oxford Mills, ONT/North Greenville District), tied the game at 31-31.

Freshman guard MOLLY GRIFFITHS (Walpole, MA/Ursuline) hit a baseline jumper off her own steal to put the Hounds in front to stay at 33-31 with 18:23 left. Senior forward/captain CHARDE FLOYD (Worcester, MA/Worcester Academy) converted a free throw and Plasski finished a fastbreak with a layin off a steal by Floyd and dish by junior point TRISH GARDNER (Dartmouth, MA/Dartmouth) before Czarnecki hit a layin off a Plasski feed for a 38-31 Greyhound lead.

Purple Knights' senior guard ALLISON DUNN (Whippany, NJ/Morris Catholic) converted an offensive rebound to momentarily stem-the-tide, before Czarnecki scored on another drive to the basket. After freshman forward LOGAN PINTKA (Niskayuna, NY/Colonie) hit one of two free throws, Griffiths hit a top-of-the-circle three-pointer and Floyd cashed a layin off a Gardner feed to make it 45-34.

A jumper by senior forward MEGAN URBAN (Portland, ME/Deering) (playing in her 100th career game) from Gardner, a layin by Floyd from sophomore guard LESLIE LUPIEN (Pomfret Center, CT/Woodstock Academy) and a layin by Plasski from Gardner ushered the Greyhounds to their largest lead (22 points) at 65-43.

Griffiths finished with 12 points, while Floyd added seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and a career-high seven assists. The seven rebounds moved Floyd within seven (993) of joining Lisa McCarthy '83, Jen Harrington '94 and Ann McInerney '89 as the only players in Assumption College history to have 1,000 rebounds in addition to scoring 1,000 points. Gardner contributed eight points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Plasski has now scored 871 career points in a bid to join the 1,000-point club and became just the fourth Greyhound to make 100 three-pointers in a career (currently 100-for-309). Only Stacy Mattioli '00 (275-664), Katie Kerr '00 (227-647) and Kerry Milhaven '06 (130-377) have made 100 three pointers.

Pintka led the Purple Knights with 13 points, while Dunn scored 11 and Otey 10.

The Greyhounds are next in action WEDNESDAY at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in another Northeast-10 Conference game at 5:30 p.m.

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