BOSTON, Mass. – Senior guard Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) scored 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and five steals as the Wentworth women's basketball team rolled to a 71-46 win over Eastern Nazarene in a The Commonwealth Conference contest played at Wentworth's Tansey Gymnasium.
The host Leopards scored the first basket of the game and never
looked back, holding the Lions scoreless for nearly the first four
minutes of action. Wentworth built its lead to as much as 12
before Eastern Nazarene cut it to single digits (21-12) on a basket
by freshman forward Alexis Malloy (Greenbelt, Md.) with 8:52
remaining.
That would be as close as the Lions would get for the remainder of
the half, as Wentworth went on a 19-2 run over the next seven
minutes. During the run Fauci had eight points, with six
coming on the fast break. Eastern Nazarene cut the lead to 23
(40-17), with Fauci's first half point output equaling that of the
visitors.
Wentworth upped its lead to as much as 27 with just under 15
minutes remaining before the Lions began to chip away, trimming the
lead to 15 with 9:43 left in the contest. That would be as
close as Eastern Nazarene would come, however, as Wentworth used a
9-0 run to up the lead back to 24.
Freshman forward Morgan
Furman (Falmouth, Maine) scored 16 points, grabbed eight
rebounds, and had six assists, while junior forward Kirsten
Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) chipped in with 16 of her own to go along
with six rebounds, three blocks, and four steals.
The Lions were led by senior forward Jessica Schoppee
(Scarborough, Maine), who scored 13 points. Malloy grabbed
eight rebounds, and senior guard Christine Tucker (Antioch, Calif.)
dished out 10 assists.
The win, Wentworth's second straight, improves the Leopards'
record to 6-6 overall and 2-0 in TCCC play. The six wins
surpass the win total of five last season. Eastern Nazarene
dropped its third straight to stand at 6-6 overall and 0-2 in
league play. Both teams step out of conference Thursday
night. Wentworth hosts Suffolk at 6:00, while Eastern
Nazarene is at Fitchburg State at 7:00.
