February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Simon Behan paced Middlebury (3-4) to an 87-73 victory over Southern Vermont with 17 points. The Dublin senior had his shooting eye well focused, finishing 6-for-7 from the floor, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range. He also converted 4 of 6 free throws. Six rebounds fell his way and he dished out 3 assists.
Conor Grace, another senior from Dublin, was high rebounder for Davidson with 7 in the Wildcats’ 87-68 loss to Charlotte. He chipped in 2 points. Davidson (4-4) then defeated Brandeis, 69-49, with Grace scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 caroms in just 18 minutes. He shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including 1-for-3 on 3-pointers.
Mount Aloysius (2-3) and Barry Kelleher split a pair of games last week, losing to Waynesburg, 104-99, then defeating Penn State-Altoona, 107-97. Kelleher saw 19 minutes of floor time in the Waynesburg loss, putting 7 points on the board, to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He shot just 3-for-10 from the floor, while draining his only free throw. The Cork senior then scored 8 points to help defeat Altoona, shooting 4-for-11. He also had 5 rebounds.
Ian O’Boyle continues to make an impact for New Jersey Institute of Technology (5-3). The County Kildare freshman shredded the nets for 17 points as the Highlanders defeated Teikyo Post, 90-85. O’Boyle went 5-for-10 from the floor (4-for-7 from bonus territory) and 3-for-4 on free throws. He also earned credit for 5 assists. He was held in check in NJIT’s next game, however, a 63-57 loss to University of the Sciences. He got off only two shots in 13 minutes, making one for 2 points.
Lafayette (1-6) and Paul Cummins lost a couple of heartbreakers last week. The County Kildare freshman scored 5 points, draining one of two 3-point tries and both free throws, as the Leopards fell to Cornell, 75-72. They next came up short against Marist, 83-79, with Cummins scoring 7 points. All six of his field goal attempts were from long distance and he made two of those. He hit one of his two free throws.
WOMEN’S HOOPS
Ann-Marie Healy threw in 10 points to help Jacksonville State (1-3) defeat UNC-Wilmington. The junior from Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, converted four of seven field goal attempts and two of three free throws. She had 2 blocked shots and took down 5 rebounds.
Niamh Dwyer didn’t have the best game of her career, but her 21 points did lead all scorers as Monmouth (4-3) lost to St. Peter’s, 79-64. She shot 6-for-19 from the field, encompassing 5-for-14 from outside the 3-point arc, and 4-for-6 from the stripe. The junior from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was credited with 4 steals.
Elsewhere in the Garden State, New Jersey Institute of Technology (4-4) used Aine O’Dwyer’s 9 points to take down Teikyo Post, 62-49. She was 4-for-11 in field goal attempts and 1-for-2 on free throws. She was credited with 6 rebounds. The Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, sophomore then tossed in 7 points in the Highlanders’ 70-55 loss to University of the Sciences, going 3-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the line.
Southern Mississippi (3-4) defeated Southern Illinois, 55-48, with Emer Foley chipping in 2 points. The freshman from Bray, Co. Wicklow, hit her only field goal attempt and converted one of her two free throws. She also grabbed 3 rebounds in 8 minutes on the floor.
Dowling (3-4) enjoyed a 97-75 win over Mercy, with senior Laura Mullally leading her side in scoring with 22 points. The Athlone, Co. Westmeath, product shot 5-for-15 from the floor (3-for-8 on 3-pointers) and 9-for-11 from the foul line. She also had 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 29 minutes.
SOCCER
Bryan Byrne set up the fourth goal in California-Santa Barbara’s 5-0 romp over Duke in the semifinal round of the College Cup, the NCAA Div. I men’s final four. Byrne, a junior midfielder from Castledermot, Co. Kildare, sent a cross into the box that found teammate Drew McAthy, who headed the ball into the goal in the 66th minute.
Everything set the Gauchos up for success in the championship round against Indiana, which needed two overtime periods to get past Maryland, 3-2, in their semifinal match. Not only were the Gauchos fresher off an easier match, but they had defeated the Hoosiers, 1-0, in double overtime back in September. But the Hoosiers brought the trophy back to Indiana, winners on penalty kicks after the two sides stood even at 1 after two overtime periods. Indiana won the penalty round, 3-2. UCSB ended the season 21-3-1.