Women's Basketball Falls to Union, 76-52
ELMS COLLEGE FALLS TO UNION, 76-52
CHICOPEE, MA, Dec. 3, 2006 - Elms College junior point guard Michelle Fernandes (Danbury, CT) netted a team-high 11 points, but Union College sophomore guard Maria Tobin (Schenectady, NY) led all scorers with 24 points, and the Dutchwomen used a big run in the final 11 minutes of regulation to pull away to a 76-52 win over the Blazers in Sunday afternoon's non-conference women's basketball game at the Maguire Center.
Union, which concluded a grueling stretch of four games in six days, won its second straight to improve to 2-3 overall. Elms College fell to 2-3 with the loss.
Tobin was sensational for the Dutchwomen, as she knocked down 8 of 11 shots from the field, including a sizzling 6 of 8 from 3-point range. She tallied 14 of her points in the opening half, was 5 of 6 from the field before the break, and connected on all four 3-point attempts to help spark Union to a 35-24 lead at intermission.
The Dutchwomen, who shot 51.7-percent from the field in the first half, also held decisive advantages in both points in the paint (16-4) and total rebounds (24-11) in the opening 20 minutes.
The Blazers hung tough for the first nine minutes of the second half and cut the deficit to 51-42 with 10:59 remaining following a pair of free throws by Fernandes.
From there, however, Union closed out the game with a 25-10 run to seal the victory.
In addition to Tobin, three other players reached double figures for the Dutchwomen. Sophomore center Rachel Ormsby (Charlton, NY) scored 12 points, while junior forward Devon Ciliberto (New Paltz, NY) and senior forward Krystal Hammond (Clifton, NY) added 10 points apiece.
Union outscored Elms College 34-12 in the paint and outrebounded the Blazers 47-25.
Elms College opens up North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play on Tuesday, December 5 at Wheelock College. Game time is 8:00 p.m.