Women's Basketball Earns Second-Ever NE-10 Tournament Bid
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Southern New Hampshire University women’s basketball team has qualified for the Northeast-10 Tournament for just the second time in program history. The Penmen (13-14, 9-13 NE-10) enter the tournament as the No. 10 seed and will travel to seventh-seeded Le Moyne Sunday, March 2 for a 2:00 contest. Le Moyne swept the season series, however, it was by a combined three points, as the Dolphins posted a 60-58 overtime win in Syracuse November 25 and a 57-56 win in Manchester February 19.
SNHU, which needed to win its final two games to advance to the tournament, has posted its most victories since the 1990-91 season and set a school record for Northeast-10 victories. The Penmen clinched a tourney berth with a thrilling 69-59 overtime win on the road over Saint Michael’s Tuesday night, earning the victory after trailing by as many as eight in the second half and by four with 28 seconds left in regulation.
The Penmen are led by sophomore Julia Houghtaling (Franconia, NH), who leads SNHU in scoring (12.2 ppg) and is second in rebounding (5.7 rpg) while shooting .523 from the floor. Senior Sara Tucker (Red Hook, NY) is averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while junior Stephanie Houghton (Manchester, NH), a product of West High School, is adding 8.2 ppg and hit a key three-pointer late in Tuesday’s contest. Houghton is also handing out a team-high 3.7 assists per game.
Le Moyne (14-14, 11-11) had won four in a row before bowing 77-62 to Pace in its regular season finale last Saturday. Courtney Coryea leads the Dolphins with 12.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while Kathleen Gladstone is adding 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest.
SNHU is making its second trip to the Northeast-10 Tournament since joining the league prior to the 2000-01 academic year. It marks the second trip for the Penmen under third-year head coach Karen Pinkos, with the first coming in 2006. That season, No. 12 seed SNHU fell to No. 5 seed Bentley 58-57.
2008 Northeast-10 Conference
Women’s Basketball Championship
(All Games Played at Higher Seed)
Sunday, March 2 – First Round
No. 12 Saint Rose (13-14, 9-13) at No. 5 American International (16-11, 12-10)
No. 9 Southern Connecticut (14-13, 10-12) at No. 8 Pace (11-16, 10-12)
No. 11 Saint Michael’s (13-14, 9-13) at No. 6 Bryant (17-10, 12-10)
No. 10 Southern New Hampshire (13-14, 9-13) at No. 7 Le Moyne (14-12, 11-11)
Tuesday, March 4 – Quarterfinals
STR/AIC winner at No. 1 Stonehill (23-4, 19-3)
SCS/PAC winner at No. 4 Bentley (18-9, 15-7)
STM/BRY winner at No. 3 Assumption (21-8, 15-7)
SNH/LEM winner at No. 2 Franklin Pierce (23-4, 18-4)
Friday, March 7 – Semifinals
STR/AIC/STO vs. SCS/PAC/BEN
STM/BRY/ASM vs. SNH/LEM/FPU
Sunday, March 9 – Championship
Semifinal Winners