Senior Bianca Brown (West Haven, Conn.) led all scorers with 26 points and 18 rebounds as the Albertus Magnus women's basketball team held on to defeat Pine Manor by a score of 78-75 on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.
For Brown, it was her sixth game of the year with 20 or more points, while it was her second double-double of the season.
For the fifth-straight game, Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) registered double figures as she tallied 21 points while shooting 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. The sophomore hit four key free throws in the final 30 seconds of play to secure the GNAC victory.
After being up by 16 less than six minutes into the second half of play, the Falcons were tested late in the game but met the challenge. Lindsay Karle (Wallingford, Conn.), who finished the game with 22 points, hit a jumper with 3:31 left in the contest to give Albertus a 14-point lead. Four turnovers and a missed shot allowed Pine Manor back into the game as a three-point play with 33 seconds left on the clock cut the Falcons' lead to three.
After the 'and 1' play, the Gators fouled quickly and put Carrero on the line to shoot two. The sophomore hit both before Pine Manor scored a quick lay-up, keeping the game within reach. Carrero hit two more free throws to secure the victory before the Gators connected on the final shot of the game before time expired.
Saturday's match-up was the second meeting of the season for the two programs as the Falcons downed the Gators 86-66 on Nov. 20, 2011 thanks to 14 points and 12 rebounds from Brown, the Pine Manor Tournament Most Valuable Player.
The Falcons (11-8, 4-4 GNAC) shot 43.8-percent from the field, a 28-of-64 showing, while out-rebounding the Gators 46-39. Pine Manor (7-9, 1-6 GNAC) hit just one of 10 from behind the arc as they struggled from the floor.
At the break, the Falcons held a 37-28 advantage led by Carrero, who scored 13 first-half points.
Albertus is now 12-7 all-time against Pine Manor dating back to the 1994-95 season. The Falcons are also 5-4 against the Gators when playing on the road.
Albertus will play its third-straight game on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 1 as the Falcons travel to Simmons College in Boston. Albertus is 14-5 all-time against the Sharks, while the Falcons have won just once in their last six meetings between the two programs. The mid-week GNAC contest is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Holmes Sports Center.
