COLLEGE PARK, Md. – High Point University opened up 10-5 halftime lead and earned a 21-15 win over the Towson University women's lacrosse team in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon. Junior midfielder Kaitlyn Montalbano and senior attacker Samantha Brookhart led the Tigers with six points each.

In the second half, freshman defender Olivia Conti broke the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and Towson single-season caused turnovers record when she posted her 48th of the year.

THE BASICS
High Point 21, Towson 15
Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, College Park, Md.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Towson and High Point traded goals early and found themselves tied at 1-1 with 21:55 to go in the first. Conti scored the first goal of the game for the Tigers as she brought the ball up on a clear and took it straight to the net for her first career goal.
• The Tigers (12-7) scored four of the game's next five goals and took a 5-2 lead with 12:42 to go in the period. Montalbano had a pair of goals and an assist for Towson during that stretch.
• Ashley Britton scored for High Point with 10:13 to go in the period. That goal kick started an 11-0 run that bridged the first and second halves and gave the Panthers a 13-5 lead with 22:45 to play in the game.
• Darla Poulin had three goals and two assists for High Point during that run while Emory Gaeng added three goals and an assist.
• Towson ended its scoring drought at 21:41 as junior midfielder Emily Gillingham scored off a pass from sophomore attacker Natalie Sulmonte.
• The Tigers put their offense to quick work as Towson scored four goals in a 1:33 span, which made it a 13-9 game with 20:08 to play. Sulmonte had a hand in all four of those Tiger scores as she had a pair of goals and a pair of assists.
• High Point briefly halted the Tigers run with a goal at 19:15.
• Towson's offense went back to work with a 3-0 run that made it a two goal game, 14-12 with 16 minutes to play. Sophomore attacker Carly Tellekamp struck for the first goal during that stretch while Montalbano scored back-to-back goals.
• High Point (16-3) won the ensuing draw control and scored the game's next five goals, which pushed the Panthers' lead to 19-12 with 10:17 to play.
• Conti made history with her caused turnover at 9:52 as that gave her 48 caused turnovers on the season.
• Brookhart and Tellekamp scored back-to-back goals for the Tigers, which made it a 19-14 game.
• High Point scored two of the final three goals in the game to seal the 21-15 win.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Towson and High Point combined for 36 goals in the game. That set the NCAA Tournament record for most combined goals in a tournament contest (previously 33 by Syracuse and North Carolina in 2012).
• Conti finished with three caused turnovers in the game and 49 for the season. She broke the Towson single-season mark (Hillary Fratzke-47 in 2008) and the CAA single-season mark (Fratzke and Hofstra's Bridget Eder).
• Towson's 15 goals scored against High Point gave the Tigers 254 goals scored for the season. That broke the school record for single-season goals scored (previously 242 in 1984).
• High Point out shot the Tigers 42-34 in the game.
• After winning 14 of the 22 draw controls in the second half Towson finished with a 20-18 edge in draw controls in the game.
• Jill Rall made six saves to earn the win in goal for High Point. Sophomore Angie Benson made 11 saves in the loss for the Tigers.
• Montalbano finished with four goals and two assists for six points in the game. It was her seventh hat trick of the season. She also added three ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover.
• Brookhart contributed three goals and three assists for her six points.
• Sulmonte posted two goals and three assists for five points and also pulled down a game-high six draw controls. Her six draw gave her 90 for the season, she is one of just two Tigers to grab 90 or more draw controls in a season.
• Tellekamp finished with three goals for her eighth hat trick of the season.
• Conti led the defensive efforts with three caused turnovers while adding a goal and an assist.
• Poulin led High Point with six goals and two assists while Gaeng had five goals and one assist.

 
Towson loses Brookhart, Kelly McQuilkin, Alyssa Ferro, Michelle Gildea, Jordan Clarke, Colby Unkle and Michaela Duranti to graduation but returns four of its top five leading scorers and Conti, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.