WOLFF, SIKULE NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Feb. 18: Senior co-captains Jamie Wolff and Kim Sikule were named Liberty League Guard and Forward of the Week, respectively, Monday after the two Saints led the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team to two victories over nationally-ranked William Smith and Hamilton this past weekend, giving them a spot in the Liberty League Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

Wolff (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) scored 45 points as she led the Saints to a pair of wins over the #10 Herons and Continentals. The guard had a game-high 22 points against William Smith, shooting 50-percent from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range, while also earning two assists and grabbing two steals in the 71-55 win. Against the Continentals, Wolff added a game-high 23 points to the Saints’ effort, where she shot 7-for-10 from the floor and 50-percent from behind the arc. She also was 6-for-7 from the line to help the Saints to a 59-36 victory on Saturday.

Sikule’s (Westerlo, NY/Berne-Knox Westerlo) efforts were apparent on both sides of the ball, as she tallied a total of 29 points while shooting 10-for-15 from the field. She had 17 points against the Herons, while also grabbing 11 boards to earn her second double-double of the season. She shot 75-percent (6-for-8) from the floor and was 2-for-3 from three-point range, while also shooting 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Sikule also had a game-high four steals in the 71-55 win over William Smith. Against the Continentals, the senior had 12 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Sikule was perfect from the line in the 59-36 win over Hamilton, while also grabbing another game-high four steals.

The Saints, now 19-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference, will face Vassar College on Friday in Poughkeepsie, NY. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm.

(Photos by Tara Freeman)

SENIORS LEAD SAINTS TO PLAYOFF BERTH;

TOP HAMILTON 59-36

Feb. 16: In their last home game of their careers, the class of 2008 led the St. Lawrence women’s basketball team to a 59-36 win over Liberty League opponent Hamilton College Saturday afternoon in Burkman Gymnasium, earning a spot in the 2008 Liberty League tournament while snapping the Continentals’ five game winning streak.

The Saints, now 19-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference, avenged their loss to the Continentals earlier in the season and earned their fifth consecutive win as Hamilton fell to 13-8 overall and 8-3 in the league. The Saints move to second place in the standings with two games remaining in the regular season, while the Continentals remain in third with three games to play.

Hamilton took an early lead in a half that included 29 turnovers as both teams tried to solve each other’s defense. The Continentals were able to hold on to an edge for the first 10:26 of the half, leading by as many as five, but the Saints kept it within two possessions and took control of the game after senior co-captain Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) sunk a three to give the Saints their first lead of the game. Wolff’s shot sparked a 20-8 Saints run in the last ten minutes of the half to give St. Lawrence a 29-18 advantage over the Continentals.

The Scarlet and Brown never relinquished their lead, as it managed to double in the second half. The Saints contained Hamilton to shoot 4-for-24 (17-percent) from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Ten of the Continentals points in the final minutes came from free throws. Hamilton’s tough defense was able to keep the Saints at just 26-percent in the last period.

Fifteen of Wolff’s game-high 23 total points came in the first half, where she also shot 6-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. The Saints shot 50-percent from the floor and from behind the arc in the first period of the contest to help push past the Continentals.

Senior co-captain Kim Sikule (Westerlo, NY/Berne-Knox Westerlo) had 12 points and four steals in the contest, as the guard shot 4-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, while maintaining perfection from the line. Classmate Amy Fortener (Peachtree City, GA/Our Lady of Mercy) was instrumental on fast breaks for the Saints and in halting the Continentals’ game inside the paint.

Leading the Continentals was Pumla Sathula with 13 points, while teammate Sydney Fasulo grabbed a game high nine boards.

St. Lawrence will travel to Poughkeepsie, NY on Friday to face Vassar College in Liberty League play. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm.

SAINTS UPSET NATIONALLY-RANKED HERONS, 71-55

Feb. 15: Three members of the St. Lawrence women’s basketball team scored more than 15 points to help the Saints hand Liberty League opponent William Smith College their first Liberty League loss of the season Friday night, as the home team upended the Herons 71-55 in Burkman Gymnasium.

With the win, the Saints improve to 18-4 overall and 8-3 in the league. Coming into the game, the Herons were ranked 10 th in the most recent USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 poll and were ranked 14 th by D3Hoops.com. William Smith, who are now 18-2 overall and 9-1 in the conference, suffered their first loss of the season since battling Rochester on December 4.

The Saints and Herons fought for the first minutes of the game, which saw two lead changes and three ties before a 19-6 St. Lawrence run to give the home team a comfortable 30-17 advantage with 6:28 to go in the half. William Smith was able to use shots from the free throw line to close the Scarlet and Brown’s double-digit lead down the stretch to end the period with a score of 34-26 in favor of the Saints.

The Herons began the second with five unanswered points to bring the score back within a one-possession game, but a solid defensive performance from the Saints helped the home team earn and maintain a double-digit lead once again with 14:21 remaining.

St. Lawrence saw their lead grow as big as 18 on two occasions throughout the final 3:26 of the contest before taking a 71-55 victory over the Herons in front of a packed Saints house.

St. Lawrence forced a season-high 22 turnovers for William Smith, while scoring 29 of their points off of those turnovers.

Leading the Saints defense was senior co-captain Kim Sikule (Westerlo, NY/Berne-Knox Westerlo), who grabbed her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards, shooting 6-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the line.

Offensively, senior co-captain Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) led St. Lawrence with 22 points, while junior Katie Palmer (Bourne, MA/Falmouth Academy) tallied 16 points for the Saints.

St. Lawrence will host Hamilton College tomorrow in Burkman Gymnasium, with tip-off scheduled for 2:00pm.