The Stonehill College women’s basketball team is set to play LIU on Thursday, January 22 at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The Skyhawks currently hold a 6-11 overall record (2-4 in the NEC), while LIU stands at 10-7 (5-1 NEC). Historically, Stonehill has a slight edge over LIU in their all-time series, with a 4-3 record, including a balanced 3-3 since joining Division I.
Thursday’s game will be available for viewing on NEC Front Row, with Phil Constantino and Hevynne Bristow providing commentary.
Stonehill’s roster includes five players shooting at least 75 percent from the free throw line. Brooke Paquette leads this group, ranking tenth nationally and first in the NEC at 90.8 percent. Last season, Stonehill led the conference with an 80.2 percent free throw rate and ranked fifth nationally; this year they lead the NEC again at 72.6 percent.
The team’s performance when leading at halftime has been notable: “Stonehill is 73-16 when leading at the break over the last five seasons, including a 5-2 mark this season.” The majority of their Division I wins have come under these circumstances.
In December’s Hatter Classic against Stetson, both Brooke Paquette and Ella Pelletier recorded double-doubles—the first time two Stonehill players achieved this feat in a Division I game for the program. Paquette earned NEC Player of the Week honors for her efforts during that period, while Pelletier was named Rookie of the Week.
Freshman Reese Roggenburk also received recognition as NEC Rookie of the Week after strong performances against Niagara and Rider in November.
On December 22, both Paquette and Pelletier were recognized by the conference for their play during the Hatter Classic: “Brooke Paquette was selected as the NEC Player of the Week after averaging 17.5 points and 10 rebounds in the two games at the Hatter Classic… Ella Pelletier averaged 14 points and nine rebounds… en route to NEC Rookie of the Week honors Dec. 22.”
Last season, Stonehill led its conference with an average of 16.6 assists per game—winning every match where they had more than twenty assists—and notched twenty assists in their win over Central Connecticut State earlier this month.
Paquette recently surpassed her career milestone of 800 points during that same game against Central Connecticut State; she now sits at 853 points.
Balanced scoring has been another feature for Stonehill this season. Five players reached double digits in their victory over Rider on November 13; similar depth was shown in other recent wins.
Defensively, Stonehill holds an impressive record when limiting opponents’ scoring: “Stonehill is 65-9 when limiting opposition to less than sixty points over five seasons,” including a strong showing so far this year.
The Skyhawks entered this season picked second by league coaches in preseason polls—their highest selection since joining Division I—with FDU chosen as favorite to win the conference title.
Team leadership consists of captains Molly Lynch (graduate student), Bella Mallory (junior), and Brooke Paquette (junior).
In postseason news from last year, Stonehill made its first non-conference appearance as a Division I program by qualifying automatically for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) but lost to Massachusetts.
Junior Brooke Paquette was named to this year’s Preseason All-NEC Team after earning Most Improved Player honors last season; Megan Sias made last year’s All-Rookie Team. Head coach Trisha Brown has overseen thirty-five all-conference selections during her tenure.
This season marks several first-time meetings for Stonehill—including games against Georgetown, Bethune-Cookman, Stetson, and Vanderbilt—resulting so far in one win out of four such contests.
A significant milestone came on January 25th last year when Stonehill became just “the forty-ninth women’s basketball program in NCAA history to reach one thousand wins.” Heading into this season they rank fourth among New England programs behind UConn, Bentley, and Husson.
Former player Sharn Hayward recently signed with Australia’s UC Capitals after spending summer with Willetton Tigers. During her final college season she broke Stonehill’s single-season three-point record with ninety-nine made shots; she finished fifth all-time for threes at Stonehill with one hundred ninety makes while averaging sixteen points per game last year—second-best in conference scoring averages.
Head coach Trisha Brown began her twenty-fifth season by being inducted into New Agenda Northeast Hall of Fame on November second—a recognition given to those advancing women’s roles within sport across New England states since its establishment by Mary Lydon and others during late nineteen-eighties initiatives promoting girls’ athletics regionally. Associate head coach Marcus Reilly was also honored earlier this fall through induction into Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame along with his former team from that institution’s successful run more than ten years ago.
Next up following Thursday’s contest will be an away matchup versus Central Connecticut State scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
