SPRINGFIELD, Mass., February 14, 2006 – Springfield College senior forward Courtney Parvin (Brackney, Pa.) scored 12 points and collected a game-high 12 rebounds on the Pride’s ‘Senior Night’, as SC defeated Clark University, 76-65, in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Tuesday evening in Blake Arena.
Freshman center Lauren O’Connor (Valhalla, N.Y.) produced yet another solid game for the Pride, coming off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points while adding 11 boards for her fifth double-double of the season. In SC’s past four games, O’Connor has been a monster for the Pride, averaging double-double numbers of 15.5 points per game (ppg) and 12.0 rebounds per game (rpg).
In the opening half, the two teams battled back and forth, as the score was tied five different times within the first eight minutes of play. SC started to pull away, taking a five-point lead (17-12) with 9:21 left in the first stanza on a lay-up from sophomore guard Christine Cotter (Stoughton, Mass.). Cotter scored 17 points in the game to help pace the Pride with a game-high six assists and two blocks.
SC took a 34-26 lead with 1:26 remaining in the first half on an O’Connor lay-up, but the Cougars responded, going on a 6-0 run to end the half down just two points, 34-32, heading into the break.
In the second half, the Pride started to pull away, going on a 20-8 run that gave SC a 54-40 lead with 11:32 left in the game on a three-pointer from sophomore guard Tara McCarthy (Bristol, R.I.). McCarthy added 16 points in the game on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
Clark would not go away, however, as the Cougars (15-8, 6-6 NEWMAC) engineered a 14-6 run to get within six points, at 60-54, with 7:23 to go in the contest. SC would not let Clark get closer than that, although, as the Pride held on for its eighth consecutive win. SC has won 14 of its past 15 contests to improve to 19-5 overall and an unbeaten 12-0 in NEWMAC play.
The Cougars were led by freshman forward Sarah Roderigue, as the first-year scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. Junior center Ashley Auclair and freshman guard Kate McCloskey chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Pride produced four players scoring in double-figures on the evening (O’Connor, Cotter, McCarthy, Parvin), as three registered double-digit numbers in the rebounding department, with Parvin, O’Connor, and sophomore guard Katie Castignetti (Braintree, Mass.). Castignetti pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds to help SC in the victory.
The Pride looks to make it a perfect NEWMAC regular-season, as SC will travel to Wheaton College for its regular-season finale and final tune-up before the NEWMAC Tournament begins (Feb. 21-26). The Pride will take on the Lyons Saturday afternoon, February 18, in a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.
Entering her 22nd season as head coach in 2012-13, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 306-156 record (.662 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to 12 post-season bids in the past 17 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
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