MEDIA, PA. – Sophomore Tysheka Simpson scored a season-high 25 points but the Apprentice School Lady Builders saw their season-opening seven-game winning streak come to an end on Friday night falling 66-63 to Rochester College in the Penn State Brandywine/USCAA Classic.
In a nip-and-tuck battle that saw ten ties and nine lead changes, the Lady Builders trailed 38-29 with 15:28 left on a Lexy Newsome 3-point play. Apprentice School cut the lead down to 44-41 on a 3-point play from LaTorya Grimes at the 10:11 mark. The Warriors, who were national runner-ups last year in the USCAA, pushed the lead back to eight points on a Kelly Burton 3-point play with 9:37 remaining at 49-41.
Apprentice School tied the game 59-all on a jumper by Denise Hamilton with 2:49 left and took a 61-59 lead 19 seconds later on another Hamilton jumper, but the Warriors' Kelly Burton hit four free throws in the last 17 seconds nailing the win for Rochester.
The Lady Builders bounce back on Saturday afternoon to face the host Penn State Brandywine Lady Lions in the 3 pm final game of the classic. Rochester takes on Briarcliffe College in the 1 pm opener.
ROCHESTER COLLEGE 66, APPRENTICE SCHOOL 63
APPRENTICE SCHOOL (7-1): Tysheka Simpson 7-13 8-10 25; LaTorya Grimes 3-6 3-3 9; Courtney Collins 2-8 4-4 8; Denise Hamilton 3-6 0-0 6; Tyisha Battle 2-5 1-2 5; Danita Whitaker 2-5 1-2 5; Jasmine Pringle 1-3 2-2 4; Arynn Easom 0-2 1-2 1; Christina Licano 0-0 0-0 0; Ashley Johnson 0-4 0-0 0; Brittanie Herriott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 20-25 63.
ROCHESTER COLLEGE (7-5): Sam Tomaschko 6-12 2-2 14; Jessica Crook 5-15 0-0 12; Kelly Burton 3-11 5-5 11; Elizabeth Stockell 3-4 3-4 9; Lexy Newsome 2-5 3-3 7; Ke'ala Ka'aikala 3-5 0-0 6; Rachel Graham 1-2 0-0 3; Morgan Pattillo 1-1 0-0 2; Kelly DeFauw 1-3 0-0 2; Alexis Szekely 0-1 0-0 0; Whitney Newsome 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 13-14 66.
Apprentice School............. 25 38 - 63
Rochester College............. 30 36 - 66
3-point goals--Apprentice School 3-8 (Tysheka Simpson 3-4; Denise Hamilton 0-1; Tyisha Battle 0-1; Jasmine Pringle 0-1; Arynn Easom 0-1), Rochester College 3-19 (Jessica Crook 2-9; Rachel Graham 1-2; Lexy Newsome 0-1; Whitney Newsome 0-1; Kelly Burton 0-4; Sam Tomaschko 0-2). Fouled out--Apprentice School-Courtney Collins, Rochester College-None. Rebounds--Apprentice School 27 (Danita Whitaker 6), Rochester College 33 (Sam Tomaschko 9). Assists--Apprentice School 9 (Jasmine Pringle 3), Rochester College 17 (Jessica Crook 6). Total fouls--Apprentice School 12, Rochester College 18. Technical fouls--Apprentice School-None, Rochester College-None.
Corrected with Simpson scoring 25 and not Collins