Matt Cain – Contributor
The Owls won against Franklin Pierce University in a conference matchup. With the win, the Owls tied the University of New Haven’s 11-7 record in the Northeast 10 standings heading into playoff competition.
A 24-point outing led them by guard Isabella Santoro, a graduate student. The Owls are now winners of six of their last seven games.
This would be her season-high, averaging 11.5 points. With this win, the Owls’ record now stands at 16-9 this season. The Owls finished the game scoring 62 points.
The Owls as a team grabbed 42 rebounds and got their hands on balls, resulting in six steals on the night. The shooting was a significant factor in the game, and the Owls outscored Franklin Pierce in all four quarters, shooting a team average of 63% from the floor.
A big help was from Santoro when she went four for five from the three-point range and nine for 10 from the field. She also grabbed eight rebounds of her own.
“I just brought high energy and played good defense to get the win,” Santoro said.
Santoro did not do it alone; it was a team-win effort from the starters and bench. Forward Katie Williamson a junior would be the second leading scorer of the game, with 13 points, which is just over her season average of 11.2 points per game.
Williamson grabbed nine rebounds and owned the low post. The Owls are taking it game by game with two more games to go.
“Taking it day by day, focusing on the moment. We got to take it one game at a time to go as far as we can,” Williamson said.
In the second quarter, the Owls were dominant. They came out with a 16-6 run, extending the lead.
However, the third quarter was one to forget as both teams went scoreless for four minutes. Then, Franklin Pierce cut down the lead to just 13 points, and this would cause the Owls to pick up their pace and finish strong. The Owls played a clean game which helped them to get the win.
Head coach Kate Lynch wanted everybody to rebounds, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
“We need to rebound the ball well and have everybody crash the offensive boards,” Coach Lynch said.
In the second half, the Owls grabbed twice as many rebounds as in the first half. Santoro, four of her eight rebounds came in the second half, and they were on the defensive end. Guard Delaney Connors a graduate student grabbed six defensive boards as well.
They pulled out a team wins with the Owls in the rebounding category. This game will be the season’s second to last game, and then it will be time for the conference tournament.
“It starts in practice, having high energy and keeping the focus,” Santoro said.
The Owls will now turn their focus to making a run for an NE10 championship. With this next game being away, it will be challenging as they look to put together another win on the road.
The Owls have a 12-2 record at home and a 4-6 record on the road against tough NE10 competition.
“We’re going on the road this weekend; it’s a good test for us. Let’s see how we do,” Coach Lynch said.
The Owls will be heading into the postseason with high hopes and confidence. The Owls will also look to fix their mistakes and tighten up before the postseason.
Lynch said, “We just got to grow in every way we can; getting stops and having a great possession is going to be key.”
