PAXTON, Mass. – Senior guard Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) went 6-for-10 from the floor, scoring 15 points, dishing out six assists, and recording five steals to pace four players in double figures as the Wentworth women's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak with a 69-42 win at Anna Maria in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest.
A back and forth first half saw five ties and four lead changes with neither team leading by more than a bucket through the first 15 minutes. With the score tied at 9-all, sophomore guard Samantha Ashton (Worcester, Mass.) sank two free throws with 9:07 remaining in the half to put the AMCATS on top by two.
From there the Leopards would take the lead for good by scoring the next six points – four coming from Fauci – and took a 15-11 lead. Freshman forward Chelsea Blair (Holland, Mass.) hit a layup to cut the lead to 15-13, but an 11-3 run over the final three minutes of the half gave Wentworth a 10-point cushion at the break. Over the first 20 minutes, the Leopards held Anna Maria to bust 17.9 percent from the floor.
Senior guard Michelle Moffo (Southington, Conn.) pushed the lead to 12 to open the second half before Ashton nailed a three pointer to cut the lead to nine. That would be as close as the hosts would get as a 17-2 run over the next 4:25 extended the lead to 22 and the Leopards would lead by as much as 28 in the second half.
Moffo and junior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) each scored 12 points with Moffo collecting seven steals and Vallone grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior forward Jessie Coffey (Wakefield, R.I.) added 11 points on 4-for-5 (3-for-3 from behind the arc) shooting. The Leopards scored 32 points off of 26 AMCAT turnovers and held a 42-29 rebounding advantage.
Anna Maria was led by Ashton's 13 points and Blair's seven points, eight rebounds, five blocks, and four steals. The AMCATS shot just 27.8 percent from the floor.
With the win Wentworth improves to 9-12 overall and 5-4 in TCCC play. The Leopards host Nichols Tuesday night. Anna Maria dropped its second straight to fall to 9-12 (1-8). The AMCATS are at Roger Williams Tuesday night.
