Murphy’s 24 Leads MCC to 95-55 Win

CONCORD,NH – Erika Murphy (Torrington) scored 24 points pacing MCC to a 95-55 victory over New Hampshire Technical Institute Sunday afternoon in Concord, Hew Hampshire.

Murphy was 8 for 12 from the floor and made 8 of 10 shots from the free-throw line. Jhenel Franklin (Windsor) had 10 rebounds and six assists while Shanika Hines (Manchester) hauled down eight rebounds while assisting on nine baskets.

“We played well,” MCC Head Coach Robert Turner said after his team improved to 8-1. “We started out slow, but the defense picked up and put a lot of pressure on them, forcing turnovers that led to easy baskets.”

The Cougars held a 39-15 halftime lead and continued to shoot with accuracy from both the line (24-35 – 68.5%) and the field (32 for 57 – 56%).

Turner was happy with the play of Murphy, Hines and Katurah Andrews (Katurah Andrews), but also had high praise for some of the younger players.

“The girls that came off the bench played extremely well,” Turner said. “Amanda Colon (New Britain), Q (Maquachera Holder/Hartford) and the other freshmen played big.”

MCC will travel to Groton on Tuesday night for their first big Region 21 South Division test when they face UConn-Avery Point in a 7 pm game. UCAP was one of only three teams to beat the Cougars last season and recruited well in the off-season.

“We are excited,” Turner said the Cougars final game of 2008. “This is going to be a really good game. We are going to be very aggressive, create a lot of turnovers and make a statement that we are one of the best teams in the area.”

The Cougars will have 18 days off after the Avery Point game, returning to action at home on January 3 when they host Quinsigamond CC at East Catholic for a 1pm game.