Box Score KEENE, N.H. 11/18/11 – For the second straight game, junior Siobhan Carnell (Quincy, Mass.) came off the bench to lead the Keene State College women's basketball to a victory. After scoring a career high 25 points in the Owls' season-opening win over RPI on Tuesday, Carnell netted a game high 14 points, including 12 straight midway in the second half, to lead Keene State to a 73-59 win over Mount Ida College in a first-round game of the 16 Annual KSC Women's Tip-Off Tournament at Spaulding Gym on Friday.
Keene State (2-0) will face Westfield State (1-0) in Saturday's championship game at 3 p.m. Westfield State defeated Salve Regina University 73-48 in Friday's second first-round game. Mount Ida (0-2) will take on Salve Regina (0-2) in the tournament's consolation game on Saturday (1 p.m.).
The Owls led from start to finish, going up 16-4 following five straight points by senior point guard Niki Cote (Ashford, Conn.) at the 12:15 mark. Entering the game moments earlier, sophomore Ashlee Moussette (Southampton, Mass.) connected on a three-point shot from the left corner to push the Owls' lead up to 22-6.
Keene State took a 36-22 lead to the locker room
Both teams paraded to the foul line in the first half. KSC hit 11 of its 14 shots (79) while the Mustangs went 11 for 15 (73%).
Mount Ida made a mild run at the Owls early in the second half, senior Shannon Wood (Gorham, Me). netted a three-pointer off the break and senior Jeileen Rivera (Springfield, Mass.) hit one of two free throw attempts, cutting KSC's lead to 42-30.
Keene State pulled ahead for good behind junior Siobhan Carnell (Quincy, Mass.) who scored 12 straight points, capped off by a lay-up that made it 55-34 with 10:17 to play.
"Coach (Keith) Boucher got on us at halftime and we picked it up in the second half," said Carnell. "First half I was forcing things and in the second half I let the game come to me. Once I started hitting my shots, the teammates were looking for me."
Senior Sara Laudano (North Haven, Conn.) also scored in double-figures for the Owls, finishing with 10 points. Freshman Courtney Roberts (Sutton, Mass.) added eight points and a game high 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Abigail Fedigan (New Fairfield, Mass.) led the Mustangs with a game best 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. Wood finished with 14 points and Rivera chipped in with 12 points for Mount Ida, which was making its first appearance in the tournament since 2007.
Both teams struggled from behind the arc. KSC hit just four of its 20 shots (20%) while the Mustangs were 4-19 (21%).
The KSC Owls are looking to win their 14th straight Tip-Off tournament title.
Freshman Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.) had a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Westfield State to 73-48 victory over Salve Regina in Friday's second opening-round game.
There were five lead changes in the first half until Westfield State pulled away right before the break. Junior Courtney Kegresse (Adams, Mass.) knocked down consecutive three-pointers in the final minute to give the Owls a 36-26 halftime lead. WSC hit six of its 11 shots from behind the arc in the half.
Westfield continued to use the three-ball to build on its lead in the second half. Ashton and Molly Waitt (Melrose, Mass.) each connected on shots from behind the arc on consecutive trips down the floor to give the Owls a 58-31 lead with 14:20 to play.
Kegresse also had a sold game for the Owls, finishing with 22 points, including six three-pointers. Waitt added 13 points.
Sophomore Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) led the Seahawks with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The difference in the game came from behind the arc, Westfield knocked down 13 of its 25 three-point attempts (52%) while Salve Regina connected on just two of its 15 shots.
