2008 Woodie Awards
Thirty reasons to love Amanda Pape
Junior star puts up 30 points, most for women's hoops since '97, in 87-68 win over MSM
Mike Barrett
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Sports
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The win moves Sacred Heart to a 12-2 Northeast Conference record; it is now tied for first place with Quinnipiac University.
Pape, a native of Stamford, is the first women's basketball player to score 30 points in a game since Sacred Heart moved to Division I in 1999. The last Sacred Heart women's player to hit the 30 point mark was Jen Rimkus, who scored 31 points against Long Island University in 1997.
Aside from her record scoring night, Pape also had six rebounds, five assists, and one block.
"It's not all about the scoring, I'm just as happy that we came away with a win tonight," Pape said.
The first half remained very close as both teams went back and forth. The Mount jumped out to an early four point lead, but the Pioneers answered back, taking the lead with 14 minutes left. The Mount continued to keep it close, tying the game several times, but at the ten minute mark of the first half, SHU took the lead for good.
Mountaineer guard Tiffany Green made things difficult for the Pioneers in the first half. Last year's NEC Rookie of the Year went into halftime shooting 7-11 while scoring 16 points, tying Pape on the leader board.
"Green is a terrific player," Pioneer's coach Ed Swanson said. "Anytime she had an open look, she hit her shot."
However, Sacred Heart found a way to stop Green throughout the second half, holding her to only three points.
The beginning of the second half went much like the first did, with The Mount keeping the Pioneers' defense on its toes several times in the first ten minutes. When the Mount pulled within one point, forward Jasmine Walker completed a three point play to end the threat.
"We weathered a storm out there, until about the fourteen minute mark, where we started finishing our plays and pulling away with the lead," Swanson said.
At this point in the game the Pioneers went into the first double-digit lead of the night, and cruised through the rest of the half with ease, with Pape leading the way.