BOSTON, Mass. – A layup by senior guard Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) with 1:27 remaining in regulation snapped a 57-all tie as the Wentworth women's basketball team held on to defeat Nichols, 62-61, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.
The host Leopards used an early, 13-4 run to take their largest lead of the first half, 21-9, on a basket from freshman forward Meaghan Murphy (Rutland, Mass.). The Bison would score the next six points to trim the lead to five before a 5-0 spurt – with four points coming from junior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) pushed the lead back to double digits, 26-16, with 4:57 left in the half.
A 10-3 run by the Bison, with five points coming from junior guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.) made it a three-point game with 1:54 left in the half and the Leopards, who shot 57.7 percent in the first half, would take a 34-29 lead at the break.
Nichols opened the second half on a 9-3 run and took a 38-37 lead on a basket from senior guard Lindsay Bennett (North Brookfield, Mass.) with 15:27 to play. However, four consecutive points from Vallone gave Wentworth a 41-38 lead 1:46 later. The Bison responded with a 10-3 run of their own to take a 48-44 lead with 11:14 remaining on a basket from senior guard Alena Jasinski (Canton, Conn.) and would lead by as much as five on two occasions, including on a basket by sophomore forward Lena Fracassini (Bridgeport, Conn.) with 7:21 left.
Trailing 52-47, Wentworth went on a 10-3 run and took a two-point lead on a pair of freshman forward Morgan Furman (Falmouth, Maine) free throws with 3:25 left in the contest. Bennett tied the game at 57-all with a basket with 3:04 left before Fauci broke the tie.
The Bison trailed by two with 13.8 seconds remaining before senior guard Michelle Moffo (Southington, Conn.) hit one of two free throws to push the lead to three. Nichols worked the ball for a game-tying shot attempt, but could only manage a two-pointer as time expired.
Vallone led all scorers with 21 points (on 10-for-16 shooting) to go along with nine rebounds. Fauci was 6-for-7 from the floor, scoring 17 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists, and recording four steals. For Nichols, Robidoux had 15 points while junior forward Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) had 14 points.
Wentworth wins its second straight to improve to 10-12 overall and 6-4 in TCCC play. The Leopards host Curry Saturday. Nichols sees its three-game win streak come to an end to stand at 11-10 (4-6). The Bison host Eastern Nazarene on Saturday.
