DeLand, Fla. - Senior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Stetson women's basketball team (4-5) to a 79-67 win over visiting Youngstown State (2-8) in the opening game of the 2010 Hatter Classic on Monday at the Edmunds Center. Sophomore guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Stetson won a game in its home tournament for the first time since 2000.
The Hatters dominated the Penguins in the paint to the tune of a 38-14 scoring differential and salted the game away with a 12-4 run in the final 5:55 of the ballgame; Graboski had eight of those points for Stetson.
Stetson led by as many as eight points in the first half, but a Monica Touvelle three-pointer allowed YSU to cut the lead to 37-33 at halftime. The Penguins kept the pressure on the Hatters out of the locker room, tying the game several times and even taking a one-point lead on a Maryum Jenkins trifecta with 12:43 to play. Freshman forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) gave the Hatters the lead right back with a bucket on the next possession; Stetson would race out ahead 60-53 with 8:48 left and never allowed Youngstown State closer than four points the rest of the way.
Graboski made nine of 10 free throws to best her previous career high, set December 4 at UNF, by four points. Her 12 rebounds marked her second straight game in double figures while she also added two blocks, an assist and a steal. McGowan shot six for eight from the floor en route to her complete statistical effort; senior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) also reached double figures with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) had seven points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Brandi Brown had an outstanding game for the Penguins, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Jenkins scored 16 points while Kenya Middlebrooks added 11 points and eight rebounds. Macey Norton dished out six assists to lead YSU in that category.
In the second game of the Hatter Classic, Winthrop edged Maine 54-51. The tournament concludes tomorrow as Stetson takes on Maine at 1 p.m. and Winthrop faces YSU at 3:30 p.m. Live Stats are available for both games at GoHatters.com; the official online home of Stetson Athletics is also where fans can watch and listen to Bill Topping's Hatter Vision broadcast. Fans are also encouraged to follow the Hatters on Twitter (@StetsonSID) and "like" the Stetson Athletics page on Facebook.
