(Courtesy of Roger Williams Sports Information)
BRISTOL, R.I. – Wentworth Institute of Technology staved off
a late rally by the Roger Williams University Women's Basketball
team, as the Leopards were able to squeak away with a 58-57 win
Saturday afternoon to remain undefeated in The Commonwealth Coast
Conference.
The Leopards led 29-23 at halftime and were up by as many as 12 in
the second half before the Hawks mounted the comeback. Trailing
30-42 at the 14:37 mark, Roger Williams cut the deficit to seven on
a pair of jumpers by Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and
a free throw by Carly Spagnola (Millbrook, N.Y.). Kirsten
Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) stretched the lead back to nine on the
other end with a jump shot of her own for Wentworth.
Roger Williams slowly clawed its way back into the game with a
10-2 run, capped off by a free throw by Lanieri to make it a 45-46
game in favor of the Wentworth with 6:07 left. Yet the Leopards
came back with a 10-2 run of their own, highlighted by Jessie
Coffee knocking down a three-pointer as she was fouled on the
play.
Wentworth appeared to be on its way to an easy win, leading 58-48
with 1:26 to play, yet the Hawk defense clamped down in the final
90 seconds of action, forcing a turnover, missed shot, and missed
free throw on the final three Leopard possessions. Conversely, RWU
got a layup by Ryan Weekes (Worcester, Mass.) and a three-pointer
and a pair of free throws by Elizabeth Kilzi (Waverly, Pa.) on its
last three possessions to trail 55-58 with 22 seconds to play.
After the Leopards missed the first free throw of a 1-and-1 that
could have potentially put the game away for them, Weekes grabbed
the rebound for RWU to give the Hawks a chance to send the game
into overtime. On the final Hawk possession, Weekes put up the
potential game-tying three from the right wing, but Morgan
Furman (Falmouth, Maine) made a crucial block on the shot. The
loose ball found its way to Lanieri, who kicked it back out to
Weekes for another three. Weekes put up the shot and drained it as
the buzzer sounded, yet the referees ruled the jumper a two-point
basket, allowing Wentworth to escape with the one-point win.
Five players scored in double figures for Wentworth, including
Furman and Michelle
Fauci (Boxford, Mass.), who led the Leopards with 12 points
each. Coffey, Vallone, and Ashley
Conway (Danvers, Mass.) each added ten.
Lanieri notched her second-straight double-double with 19 points
and 11 rebounds. Kilzi added 13 points and three steals, while
Weekes contributed eight points and eight boards.
Roger Williams (5-9, 1-2 TCCC) will host Gordon College Wednesday
at 6:00 p.m., while Wentworth (7-7, 3-0 TCCC) hosts Colby College
Monday at 6:00 p.m.
