Saints Fall in Non-Conference Game at Springfield on Second Night of Back-to-Back

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield College women's basketball team jumped out to a 23-point lead in the second quarter and never looked back as it raced past Emmanuel, 65-42, in a non-conference tilt on Wednesday evening in Blake Arena.  

The Pride has now strung together five straight victories to move to 6-1, while Emmanuel dipped to 2-4.

Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) was dominant in the post with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals, while Amanda Leary (Westbury, N.Y.) added 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.  Rachel Vinton (Rutland, Mass.) chipped in 13 points and six assists to lead a Springfield team that turned 18 Emmanuel turnovers in 16 points. 

Saints junior Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) had a team-high 10 points in 18 minutes off the bench. First-year Kaitlyn Bartash (Standish, Maine) added seven points while recording three blocks for a second straight game.

Even at 7-7 with just over four minutes left in the opening quarter, Springfield would close out the frame on a 10-0 scoring burst, with Vinton getting the run started with an inside finish at the 3:22 mark.  Springfield would limit the visitors to just 3-of-17 shooting in the opening 10 minutes of play and six different members of the Pride scored at least two points.

Springfield's efficiency was particularly impressive on the offensive end in the second half as the hosts shot 8-of-14 from the field.  The Pride would take control of the game, outscoring the Saints by an 18-5 margin through the first 7:02 of the quarter to have its lead balloon to 35-12 following a pair from the charity stripe by Czeremcha.  Both Vinton and Leary would net seven points in the stanza as Springfield would head into the locker room with a 37-16 cushion. 

Leary would score inside just over two minutes into the third quarter to make it 44-18 before Natalie Lucas (Madison, Conn.) would sink two free throws with 1:28 on the clock to give the hosts their largest lead of the game at 29 points as the scoreboard read 53-24.   In a quarter where Springfield would outscore the Saints by an 18-12 margin, seven players scored for the Pride, paced by six points from Czeremcha. 

Emmanuel returns to play on Dec. 2, opening up conference play against Rivier at 12:00 p.m. Springfield will play again next Tuesday when it hosts Worcester State at 7:00 p.m. 

**Release courtesy Springfield College Athletic Communications Office