UNION, N.J. (11/20/11) – Lewis &
Clark junior guard Sara Villanueva scored 15 of her
game-high 27 points in the second half to lead the #25 Pioneers to
an 81-71 win over #24 Kean University in the Cougar Classic
Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.
The Pioneers (3-0) used a 15-2 run late in the second half to
turn a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead to take control of
the game. Junior guard Naimah Clemons scored
a team-high 24 points for the Cougars (2-1).
Kean led for much for much of the first half and scored six
straight points to build its largest lead at 30-23 following
back-to-back lay-ups by Clemons and junior forward Simone
Smith. With Kean leading 32-25 with just under six
minutes left in the half, the Pioneers scored eight straight points
to take their first lead since a 3-2 lead in the early
minutes. Clemons answered with a three-pointer and the
Cougars would push the lead back out to 39-33, before Lewis &
Clark closed the half on an 8-2 run to trail 43-41 at the
break.
Clemons (pictured left) led all scorers with 18 first-half
points, as she hit 7-of-10 shots from the floor. Smith
connected on 5-of-8 field goals to score 11 points in the opening
half. Villanueva had 12 points for the Pioneers.
Kean opened the second half with seven straight points to take a
50-41 lead following a three-point play by Smith just 1:51 into the
half. The Cougars would build their largest lead at 59-49
following a three-point by freshman AnnaRose
Pierre with 13:57 left in the game.
Five straight points by the Pioneers would trim the lead in half
and Lewis & Clark would later follow with the 15-2 run to turn
a 63-56 Kean lead into a 71-65 Pioneer advantage. Senior
forward Neva Hauser had seven points in the run, while
Villanueva added two points, two assists and a steal.
The Cougars would trim the lead back to four at 71-67 on a layup
by Erika Jones, however that would be as close as
Kean would get, as Villanueva hit all six of her free throws in the
final 3:35 of the game to seal the win for the Pioneers.
For Kean, Smith had a career-high 22 points and added three
blocks. Senior guard Noel Mathis had six
points, six assists and four steals.
In the victory, Villanueva hit 8-of-14 from the floor and
10-of-14 from the foul line, as she also finished with four assists
and four rebounds to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Junior
guard Kristina Williams had 16 points and six rebounds,
while Hauser and forward Megan Spence each added nine
points. Spence also finished with a game-high nine rebounds
and added four steals.
In the consolation game, Salisbury University (1-1) went on a
29-9 run in the second half en-route to defeating Oneonta State,
72-57. Sophomore forward Josie Hildebrand scored 14
of her game-high 18 points in the second half. Freshman guard
Anna Hackett added 11 points, eight rebounds and six
assists in the win. For the Red Dragons (0-3), Samantha
Szkotak had nine points and 10 rebounds.
KEAN COUGAR
CLASSIC
Most Valuable Player
Sara Villanueva, Lewis & Clark
All-Tournament Team
Samantha Szkotak, Oneonta State
Anna Hackett, Salisbury
Naimah Clemons, Kean
Simone Smith, Kean
Kristina Williams, Lewis & Clark
