Roser Nets 2,000th Career Point vs. Morrisville St.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Senior captain Ashley Roser (Taberg, N.Y.) became only the 13th player in NCAA Division III history to record 2,000 career points alongside 1,000 career rebounds en route to a 55-46 victory over the Mustangs of Morrisville State College on Wednesday. With the win, the Express extend their program record winning streak to nine games while improving to 17-6 overall and to 12-2 within the North Eastern Athletic Conference. The Mustangs drop to 6-18 overall while falling to 3-12 in league play.

Roser, who racked up her 60th double-double against a NEAC opponent, finished with 32 points, the exact amount she needed to reach the 2,000 point threshold entering the game. She is now tied for second place all-time in NCAA Division III history with 79 double-doubles across her four year career. She needs four more double-doubles to tie the all-time NCAA Division III record of 83, set by Kathryn Stockbower of Swarthmore College.

In addition, Roser stands as only the third player in Division III history to have reached 2,000 career points and 1,350 rebounds in a career. With 1,356 career rebounds entering her next game, Roser is only 10 rebounds away from having the second-highest amount of rebounds for a 2,000 point scorer. The all-time leader in rebounds amongst players with 2,000 points is Ronda Jo Miller of Gallaudet University who racked up 2,656 points alongside 1,545 rebounds.

In her career with the Express, Roser needed 94 career games to reach the 2,000 point plateau. She has averaged 21.3 points per game and currently stands as the active leader amongst qualifying Division III women's basketball players. In addition, Roser has posted 14.4 rebounds per game and is the active Division III leader in career rebounds (1,339). The reigning NEAC Player of the Year, Roser is the only active Division III player with 2,000 points exiting play this evening.

Senior Cassie Smythe (Eden, N.Y.) ranked second on the team in point scoring on Wednesday, pouring home a team-high two three-point baskets in the winning effort. Senior Theresa Hernandez (Dewitt, N.Y.) led the team with three assists.

The Express and Mustangs battled to a 17-17 tie with 6:49 left in the first half, but Wells scored the half's final 13 points while holding Morrisville State to zero points across that span. Leading by a 25-17 margin, the Express were boosted by a three-pointer from sophomore Holli Erkson (Cooperstown, N.Y.) with 1:43 left in the first half. With a 28-17 lead, the Express were further bolstered by a Knapp jumpshot with 21 seconds left in the stanza.

The host Mustangs outscored the Express in the second half, 29-to-25, despite the Express capturing a game-high 18 point lead with 16:22 remaining in the half following Smythe's first three-pointer of the game. Following her three-pointer, however, Morrisville rattled off the game's next 11 points to shrink the 18 point lead down to only seven with exactly 10 minutes to go in regulation time (41-33). The Express, however, built a 15 point lead back only 65 seconds later and the guests were able to stave off any additional comeback.

Caitlyn Adams led the Mustangs with 17 total points via a 7-for-11 performance from the floor. She also racked up a team-best 12 rebounds and also posted five takeaways. Jordan Anderson accumulated 16 points for Morrisville State and added a team-high six assists. Jennel Paul was the third member of the hosts to reach double-digit point scoring.

Wells returns to action this Saturday, Feb. 22 as they host the Storm of Keuka College in a 3:00 p.m. contest at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing.