PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Junior guard Nicole Nicholson (Staten Island, N.Y.) matched a Concordia College New York women's basketball team single-game record on Saturday afternoon with six steals while sophomore guard Cameron Corbett recorded her first collegiate double-double behind 25 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to power the Clippers to a 70-64 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) victory over Holy Family University.
NOTES
• Concordia improves to 5-16, 3-9 in CACC play.
• Holy Family halls to 6-12, 4-6 in league action.
• The victory marks the first triumph for the women's basketball programs inside the Campus Center Gym since the two sides began meeting annual starting in the 2009-10 season.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Nicholson becomes the seventh member of the women's basketball team to record six steals in the victory, last done by Brianna Hendrick on Feb. 17, 2016. Nicholson also scored 17 points.
• Corbett added a team-leading four assists on top of her double-double.
• Freshman guard Sara Hopkins (Mountain Top, Pa.) scored 10 points to go with a career-high eight rebounds plus three steals and one block that match her personal-records.
• For Holy Family, Casey Schwitzer scored 19 points with five assists while Anjelai Hayes recorded nine rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Trailing early 4-0, the Clippers went off on a 13-0 run with Corbett, sophomore forward Sabrina Clement (Queens, N.Y.) and sophomore guard Saundra Cleckley (Queens, N.Y.) all scoring to take a 13-4 advantage with 5:13 remaining in the opening quarter. Holy Family ended the spree with a layup, but a Cleckley jumper on the ensuing possession prevented HFU from cutting into the lead anymore. The Clippers held the host without back-to-back baskets for the remainder of the quarter, while using a Hopkins layup and junior center Amiya Rankins (Somerset, N.J.) jumper in the final minute of the frame extending Concordia's lead to 22-13.
• A Hopkins layup to start the second quarter propelled Concordia to a double-digit advantage, with the Clippers holding a double-digit lead until a three pointer by the Tigers made it 31-24 with 1:23 remaining in the half. HFU connected on a jumper at the buzzer creating a 31-26 halftime score.
• Concordia began the third quarter with a Nicholson three pointer and layup back-to-back, but an 8-0 run by the host made it a one-possession game at 36-34 with 5:19 remaining in the frame. The Clippers responded with a 6-0 run off baskets from Corbett, Hopkins and Nicholson before a pair of HFU buckets sandwiching a Corbett jumper made it 44-38 with 2:52 to play in the quarter. Concordia ended the frame with the final seven points off a Nicholson three pointer and layup plus a Cleckley basket, creating a 51-38 lead.
• Rankins carried the Clippers' run into the final stanza with the opening basket, making it 53-38 with 9:29 to play. Holy Family clawed into the deficit off back-to-back baskets, with the Clippers ending the rally via a Corbett jumper and held the host without consecutive baskets until a 6-0 spurt made it 59-52 with 4:08 remaining. The Clippers ended the threat with an 8-2 stretch to create a 67-54 lead with under a minute to play. The Tigers scored 10 points in the final minute, but late free throws from Nicholson and Corbett kept HFU at arm's length
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Clippers converted on 26-57 shots, going 4-16 from three-point territory and 14-19 from the free throw line.
• Holy Family finished 25-61 from the field, 5-19 from distance and 9-13 from the free throw line.
• The Clippers dished out 12 assists versus 13 for the host.
• Concordia committed 19 turnovers, resulting in 22 points for HFU. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers, leading to 20 points.
• Concordia held a 38-32 advantage in rebounds.
• Concordia got eight points from its bench while Holy Family got 19.
• Concordia recorded 11 steals with four blocks while Holy Family stole the ball eight times with three blocks.
UP NEXT
The women's basketball team returns to Philadelphia on Saturday, Feb. 9 to take on nationally-ranked University of the Sciences at 1 p.m.
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