Monasterevin's Claire Melia landed a superb 23 points on her D1 NCAA debut as she helped the Saint Joseph's Hawks past Columbia.
Melia, who came from Portlaoise Panthers and captained the Ireland U20s side that secured a Division B bronze last summer at the Women’s European Championships, was a leading light on the court as she also collected four assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
4Q, 5:50 | In her collegiate debut, rookie Claire Melia hits 20 points with over five minutes still to play. ?
SJU 64, Columbia 48 pic.twitter.com/IudTBb0V2X
— Saint Joseph's WBB (@SJUHawks_WBB) November 8, 2019
The Irish star joined the Philadelphia-based university on a scholarship and Head Coach Cindy Griffin had spoken positively about their new starting centre during pre-season.
They were victorious in their campaign opener thanks to her shooting which included a perfect 2/2 from three-point range as well as 7/8 free-throws.
HAWKS WIN!
Claire Melia poured in a game-high 23 points in her collegiate debut, Lula Roig (13), Katie Jekot (11), and Katie Mayock (10) added double-figure scoring, and Gabby Smalls pulled down NINE boards at Columbia on Thursday night. #THWND | #WingsUp pic.twitter.com/eHsDYpXu4L— Saint Joseph's WBB (@SJUHawks_WBB) November 8, 2019
Next up is the first home game of the season for Melia's outfit as they take on Temple Owls on Monday.
