BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Mihah Vickers (Westlake Village, Calif.) scored 11 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and had two steals as the Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team held on for a 46-41 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Lions capture their second straight victory and improve to 8-12 overall and 6-7 in CCC play. The Leopards stand at 5-16 (3-11) after their second straight loss.
Following a made 3-pointer by junior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) to put Wentworth up 9-8, Eastern Nazarene scored 10 unanswered points to lead 18-9. The Leopards used a team timeout to stall the run and put together nine unanswered points of their own to tie the game at 18 with 5:21 remaining. A made free throw by junior Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) and a Vickers layup put the Lions up by three, while junior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) cut the deficit to one with a layup at 1:21. Eastern Nazarene went into halftime with a 21-20 lead. Camara hit three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to record 11 points in the first half.
The second half started much like the first with both sides keeping it close to start and then Wentworth chasing Eastern Nazarene. With the score tied at 30, the Lions hit three straight jumpers to lead by six. Wentworth chipped away at the lead, coming within one point on several occasions. With 20 seconds remaining, junior Mhiah Vickers (Westlake Village, Calif.) hit a close range jump shot to put the Lions up three. Wentworth called timeout to set up a play for Camara to hit the game-tying three, but the shot fell short and sophomore Jasmine Mata (Santa Barbara, Calif.) hit two free throws to seal the win.
Junior Ella Salazar (Los Angeles, Calif.) had eight points and 11 rebounds while Mata added seven of her own.
Camara recorded a double-double with 18 points and a dozen rebounds to go along with a pair of steals. Rogers added seven points and 12 rebounds and freshman Riselly Deoleo (Manchester, N.H.) had seven points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Both teams continue CCC play on Wednesday with Wentworth traveling to Western New England and Eastern Nazarene hosting Salve Regina.