PC Tops Buffalo off of Marandola's Scoring Spree

The Women's Basketball Team improved its record to 6-1 and soundly defeated Buffalo, 86-63, on Tuesday, Dec. 2 in the Friars' second consecutive victory by more than 20 points. The win came after a road trip to California in which Providence went 1-1 in the Warner Center Marriot Classic over the weekend. "It was really good for us to come and get a win [against Buffalo], just getting back from California, to come back home and really play like we did," said Friars Head Coach Phil Seymore. And although the final score indicates a happy ending, it seemed that during the first half, the outcome would be much closer than it turned out to be. The first half was a defensive duel between the two squads, and neither team was able to establish much of a rhythm. Providence did show some signs of life toward the end of the half, thanks to a bank shot by Emily Cournoyer '10 with 2:38 remaining and a jumper by Mi-Khida Hankins '10 on the Friars' next position. Providence ended the half with a 37-31 lead. "The first half we played lackluster," said Coach Seymore. "We needed to rebound more and move the ball better." Providence answered the coach's rallying cry in the second, thanks largely to the play of Hankins and Chelsea Marandola '10. Marandola led all scorers with a career-high 31 points and her play, along with Hankins' intensity was enough to jump start the Friars in the second half. Although Buffalo struck first, Providence responded with an 11-2 run over the first five minutes of the second to take a 46-35 lead. Even after Buffalo managed to put some points on the board, Marandola was there to sustain and increase the Friars' lead, which ballooned to 23 points by the game's end. It was as if Marandola, the Friars' floor general from Johnston, R.I., was putting on a clinic down the stretch. With just under 10 minutes remaining, she sandwiched a fast break lay-up with two three-pointers that brought the house down, and brought Buffalo's spirits down as well. "Chelsea is back 100 percent. She shot very well tonight," said Seymore. "She pushed the ball well, she rebounded. She's playing her best basketball right now…I'm happy for her and when she's playing well it really helps us." Tuesday's win came just two days after Providence wrapped up tournament play on the West Coast in impressive fashion by downing Northern Colorado by a 26 point margin of victory, 73-47. Although the offense sparked the win, the defense was stellar throughout the game. Providence held Northern Colorado to just seven points after nearly 15 minutes had elapsed in the first half. The backcourt answered when called upon, also. Brittany Dorsey '10 led all rebounders with eight grabs and Hankins followed up with seven. Providence held Northern Colorado to just 25.5 percent shooting from the field, and that was critical to the win. Offensively, four different friars (Hankins, Dorsey, Marandola, and Jessica Clark '10) were in double figures, with Hankins and Dorsey leading the charge with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Dorsey was solid from three-point range, knocking down three of her four attempts. There was a much different story for the Friars the previous day in a frustrating loss at the hands of Pepperdine. It was a tale of two halves for the girls from Smith Hill, in which they played right along with their counterparts for the first 20 minutes,but could not follow suit in the latter 20 minutes. The game's beginning did not suggest that it would end the way it did. Providence came out strong, and even ran out to a narrow 36-35 lead at halftime. The offense had a difficult time finding its footing against the powerful Pepperdine squad. And although the defense did carry its weight through the second half, some substantial Providence foul trouble shifted the balance in favor of Pepperdine. Six Friars accumulated at least three fouls by the second half, and Pepperdine capitalized on the Friars' weakness by shooting 58.3 percent from the free throw line for a total of 21 points-a telling differential, particularly in light of the 15 points that separated the final scores. Spotty shooting down the stretch for the Friars kept a win out of reach. Providence was able to muster only 15 points in the second half. Hankins and Marandola each chipped in 10 points in the effort, and Hankins matched Cournoyer for a team-high six rebounds. Providence returns to action in a matinee this Saturday against The University of Rhode Island.