November 16, 2007
Shorewomen Tame Dolphins, 58-42
O'Donnell Nets 23 Points, Conway Records Double-Double in Season Opener

WEST HARTFORD, CT – Sophomore guard Jane O'Donnell (Cape May Court House, NJ/Wildwood Catholic) led all scorers with 23 points and senior guard Elise Conway (Silver Spring, MD/Paint Branch) tallied her first career double-double as the Washington College women's basketball team won its season opener Friday night, defeating College of Staten Island, 58-42, in the first round of the St. Joseph (CT) College Tip-Off Tournament.

Washington jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the game before Staten Island answered with a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead, 11-9, with 13:11 left in the first half. The two teams traded baskets and Staten Island held a 13-11 lead with 10:27 left in the opening period. The Shorewomen then put the clamps on defensively, holding the Dolphins to just five points the rest of the half. Washington used a 15-0 run to jump ahead, 26-13, on a pair of free throws by junior guard Brianne Slizofski (Collegeville, PA/Pius X) with 4:04 to play before the intermission. Washington held a 30-18 advantage at the break.

Staten Island scored the first five points of the second half to trim the lead to 30-23, but Washington then went on a 16-2 run to take a commanding 46-25 lead on a three-pointer by junior guard Christie Rogers (Davidsonville, MD/Archbishop Spalding) with 13:17 left in the game. O'Donnell scored 11 of her 23 points during the run and knocked down three three-pointers in a span of 1:38 to turn a 34-23 margin into a 43-25 cushion. The Shorewomen led by at least 14 points the rest of the way.

O'Donnell's 23 points came on 9-for-20 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-12 performance from beyond the three-point stripe. Conway finished the game with 10 points and game highs of 14 rebounds and five assists. Slizofski added six points and nine boards for the Shorewomen.

Kristen Panariello was the only Dolphin to reach double figures in scoring, pouring in 17 points. Nicole Estrada added nine points, a game-high seven steals, and a team-best six rebounds.

Washington posted the 16-point win despite turning the ball over 35 times to Staten Island's 23 by playing staunch defense and controlling the boards. The Shorewomen held the Dolphins to 23% shooting from the field while converting on 42% of their own shots. Washington also made good on 11 of its 14 free-throw attempts and held a commanding 53-35 advantage in rebounding.

The Shorewomen will play host St. Joseph, a 54-40 winner over Gallaudet, in tomorrow's championship game of the St. Joseph Tip-Off Tournament at 3:00 p.m.

BOX SCORE