February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
For Southern Mississippi’s Emer Foley, that game came last Friday, although the Lady Eagles dropped an 83-66 decision in basketball to East Carolina. The game had already gotten out of hand when Foley, a 5-foot-11 forward from Bray, Co. Wicklow, came off the bench. When she scored the first of her game-high 27 points with 8:37 left in the first half, ECU was up 23-6, the same 17-point margin that prevailed at the game’s conclusion. She shot an incredible 83 percent from the floor, making 10 of 12 attempts and hitting 7 of 13 foul shots. She earned a double-double by virtue of her 12 rebounds, also a game high. Foley again led Southern Miss (6-14, 1-7 Conference USA) in scoring in their subsequent outing, a 74-57 loss to Charlotte. Her 16 points came on 6-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line. She also had eight caroms in a reserve role.
While Foley is just making her mark, Dowling’s Laura Mullally is hitting the historical milestones that accrue after several years of solid play. The senior from Athlone, Co. Westmeath, scored her 1,000th career point in a 62-55 loss to Philadelphia. She had 11 for the contest, shooting 4-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-10 from 3-point territory. Earlier in the week, she led the Golden Lions (7-11, 7-8 New York Collegiate Athletic Conference) with 13 points in a 69-59 loss to Southampton. Most of her production came from the foul line, where she went 7-for-8. She nailed a pair of 3-pointers for the rest of her output.
Ann-Marie Healy poured in 14 points to lead Jacksonville State (7-10, 4-4 Ohio Valley Conference) past Eastern Illinois, 68-59. The 6-3 center from Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, shot 4-for-7 from the floor and 6-for-10 from the foul line. She also grabbed 6 rebounds.
Kim Fitzpatrick had 6 thefts and assisted on four baskets in Quinnipiac’s 71-59 triumph over Wagner. The Waterford senior contributed 7 points, making her only 3-point try and converting 4 of 5 free throws. The Bobcats are 9-8 overall and 6-2 in the Northeast Conference.
Aine O’Dwyer scored 16 points to help New Jersey Institute of Technology defeat Goldey-Beacom, 83-54. The sophomore from Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, drained 80 percent of her field-goal attempts, going 8-for-10 in only 18 minutes on the floor. The Highlanders’ previous game, a 62-56 win over Felician, found O’Dwyer leading her team in rebounds with 7 and assists with 5. She scored 4 points on 2-for-5 shooting. NJIT is 9-8 overall and 8-4 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
Monmouth (9-7, 5-2 Northeast Conference) ran its winning streak to four games with victories over St. Francis of Brooklyn, 66-53, and Fairleigh Dickinson, 65-55. Junior guard Niamh Dwyer, from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, scored 14 points in the first game, on 6-for-13 from the floor, including 2-for-5 from the line. Her 23 points against FDU were a game-high, as were her 5 steals. She shot 7-for-17, including 2-for-6 from outside the 3-point arc, and 7-for-9 from the foul line. She also grabbed five rebounds.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Simon Behan giveth and Simon Behan also scoreth. The senior from Dublin led Middlebury (6-12, 1-4 New England Small College Athletic Conference) in both points (13) and assists (5) in a 72-54 loss to Williams. He shot 4-for-10 from the floor, including 3-for-6 on air mailers, and 2-for-4 from the foul line. An 81-60 Middlebury romp over Johnson State found Behan notching 11 points on 3-for-4 from the floor (1-for-2 on 3-pointers) and 4-for-4 from the line. He handed out eight assists and committed four steals.
Ian O’Boyle chipped in 11 points to help NJIT (8-11, 7-5 CACC) defeat Goldey-Beacom, 83-80, in overtime. The Newbridge, Co. Kildare, freshman guard shot 3-for-9 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from long distance. He also made 4 of 5 free throws. O’Boyle is averaging 6.8 points per game, fourth on the team.
Chris Butler continues to make his presence felt down low for St. Thomas Aquinas, that is for as long as it takes the officials to count to five, as in personal fouls. The 6-8 junior from Ballymena helped STAC to two wins last week, but he did enough banging about to foul out of both games. A 75-70 Spartans victory over Queens found Butler contributing 14 points on 4-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the stripe. His 9 rebounds were a game high. STAC (8-13, 8-7 NYCAC) then downed C.W. Post, 71-59, with Butler accounting for 11 points on 4-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line. Five caroms fell his way.
Colby’s Michael Westbrooks was one of two Mules to record a double-double in a 76-68 loss to Trinity (Conn.). The Dublin junior produced 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor (2-for-4 from bonus territory, and 1-for-4 from the foul line. He also took down 10 rebounds. Colby fell to 10-6 and 1-4 in the NESCAC.
Three was the operative number for Paul Cummins in Lafayette’s 74-57 loss to Holy Cross. The County Kildare freshman flushed that many attempts, each for that many points, through the hoop for a total of 9 points. He also dished out 4 assists. The Leopards are 6-14 and 2-5 in the Patriot League.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Notre Dame Invitational found Butler’s John Frazer running second in the men’s 3,000 meters. The Belfast senior churned his way to an 8:11.13 clocking, well off the 7:59.39 posted by Notre Dame’s Kurt Benninger. DePaul’s Gavin Kennedy finished fourth in the men’s mile, won by the host school’s Vincent Ambrico in 4:11.98. Kennedy, a senior from Waterford, got the mile in 4:13.24.
Fourth is where Providence’s Liam Reale finished in the mile at the Terrier Invitational in Boston. The senior from Hospital, Co. Limerick, was caught in 4:04.75. He had to chase a field of postgrads, led by Team Nike’s Alan Webb, who ran a winning 3:59.80. Yale’s Tadhg O’Callaghan placed 28th in 4:19.96. The men’s 3,000 gave Iona’s Connollys, Sean and Rob, both seniors from Dublin, a chance to test themselves against Olympic-caliber competition in the form of Irish national team member Mark Carroll, who won the race in 7:46.60, with Webb close behind in 7:47.19. Sean Connolly was 10th in 8:08.11, with Rob Connolly 26th in 8:22.74. Providence junior Martin Fagan accomplished a personal best at 5,000 with a 13:58.05 clocking that earned him second place behind Virginia Intermont’s Fernando Cabada, the winner in 13:54.13. Fagan hails from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.
South Alabama’s Erin Kinnear took second place in the invitational pole vault at the Hoosier Relays at Bloomington, Ind. The Belfast sophomore’s best effort came with the bar set at 11 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Indiana State’s Melissa Ullenbruch topped out at 12-5 1/2. Down on the ground, Southern Illinois? Joe Byrne took fifth place in the men’s 3,000. The junior from Downpatrick, Co. Down, was timed in 8:34.39 in a race won by Eastern Illinois’ Dave Carlson in 8:23.42.
East Tennessee State’s Peter Dalton placed 10th in the men’s mile at the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington, Ky. The Dublin junior was clocked in 4:25.50. Kentucky’s Ryan DeLuca won the race in 4:12.05.
Villanova freshman Richard Corcoran, from Dublin, loosened up in both the men’s mile and 3,000 meters at the Penn State National. He finished 18th in the mile with a time of 4:12.86 (won by Alphonsus Suravicz of St. Francis (Pa.) in 4:02.99) and 25th in the 3,000 in 8:36.59 (won by Reid Coolsaet in 7:59.23).
High Point freshman Cheryl Guiney finished 15th in the women’s mile at the UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Belfast resident was timed in 5:21.71. North Carolina State’s Renee Gunning was the winner in 4:51.51.
TENNIS
California’s Conor Niland got the spring season started in the right fashion, earning a victory at first singles over Santa Clara’s Taylor Bedilion, 6-1, 7-5. The Limerick junior also teamed with Patrick Briaud for a win at first doubles, 8-5, over Bedilion and Jan Macek. The Golden Bears won the match, 7-0. California then lost to Stanford, 5-2, with Niland losing at first singles, 6-4, 6-4, to Sam Warburg.
Memphis’ Mark Finnegan, a senior from Kill, Co. Kildare, earned a straight-sets victory at third singles in the season opener for the Tigers. Finnegan defeated Scott Bayer of Rhodes, 6-1, 6-1, and also joined Alex Jago for an 8-1 win at second doubles over Bayer and Alex Gates. Finnegan came up a loser at third singles against Vanderbilt’s Jason Pinsky, 6-2, 6-2, but rebounded with a win in the fifth slot over Tennessee’s Ben Rogers, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The Tigers are 1-2 after defeating Rhodes, but losing to Vandy and Tennessee.
Dublin sophomore Barry King produced a victory at third singles to help No. 34 Notre Dame defeat No. 18 North Carolina, 5-2. King handled Geoff Boyd, 6-4, 7-6 (7-0).
Indiana freshman Dara McLoughlin defeated Butler’s Mike Weaver at sixth singles, 6-1, 6-1. McLoughlin, a Dubliner, joined with David Bubenicek to throttle Weaver and Evan West at third doubles, 8-4. The Hoosiers took the match, 7-0.
North Carolina State’s Conor Taylor, ranked 82nd by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, split a pair of first singles matches last week. The senior from Dublin defeated North Carolina A&T’s Vitas Hawley, 6-0, 6-0, but fell to No. 71 Evghenii Corduneanu from Louisiana-Lafayette, 6-0, 6-3. Dublin frosh Darragh Rowan picked up a win at fifth singles over A&T’s Jeremy Martin, 6-2, 6-3. State defeated both A&T, 7-0, and Lafayette, 5-2.