DeLand, Fla. - Sophomore guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) scored five points during an 11-2 run midway through the second half that erased a three-point deficit and catapulted the Stetson women's basketball team (5-5) to a 76-70 win over visiting Maine (1-10) in the finale of the 2010 Hatter Classic Tuesday afternoon at the Edmunds Center. McGowan recorded her first career double-double, finishing with 16 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block to lead four Hatters in double figures. Stetson and Winthrop were co-champions of the Hatter Classic as each went 2-0 against Maine and Youngstown State.
Freshman forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) did the lion's share of the scoring early on for Stetson, scoring 14 points in the first half and finishing with a game-high 17 despite exiting with an apparent ankle injury with 16:39 left in the second half. The Hatters trailed 35-33 at halftime as a 7-0 run by Maine late in the first half gave the Black Bears a six-point lead they would not relinquish the rest of the period.
The two teams traded blows for much of the second half with neither team pulling ahead by more than three points until a McGowan three-pointer put Stetson up 57-53 with 8:43 remaining in the game. The Hatters went up by seven points with less than five minutes left, but Tanna Ross and Amber Smith kept Maine in the ballgame by draining triples on consecutive possessions. Smith's shot, with 3:21 left, cut the Stetson lead to 65-64.
The Hatters would not yield, however, staying just out of reach of the Black Bears for the duration. Senior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) iced the game with two free throws that made it a five-point game with 23 seconds left. She finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists while fellow senior forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) contributed 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block; Conner had a perfect eight for eight day from the foul line.
Ashleigh Roberts led five Black Bears in double figures with 17 points while Corinne Wellington (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Katelyn Vanderhoff (12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) put up double-doubles for Maine. Smith and Ross scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while grabbing seven rebounds apiece.
Winthrop held Youngstown State without a field goal for the last 13:42 of the ballgame to rally to a 50-46 win in the nightcap. McGowan and senior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio), who was named A-Sun Player of the Week earlier today, were Stetson's representatives on the Hatter Classic All-Tournament Team.
Stetson returns to action Thursday, Dec. 30 with a 7 pm tip-off at Florida State. The Seminoles are currently ranked 20th in the USA Today coaches poll and 22nd in the Associated Press poll. Fans can listen to the game on Hatter Vision; a link to FSU's Game Tracker will be available at GoHatters.com. Follow the Hatters on Twitter (@StetsonSID) and on Facebook (Stetson Athletics) for even more coverage.
