WENHAM, Mass. – Sophomore Candace Moore's (Derry, N.H.) basket with less than a second remaining helped the New England College women's basketball team erase a three-point deficit with a minute left as the Pilgrims edged Wentworth Institute of Technology, 44-43, on the first day of the Gordon College Classic.
With the win the Pilgrims improve to 3-0 while the Leopards drop to 1-1.
Both teams struggled to hit shots early as the first field goal was hit with 6:02 left in the first quarter when junior Marjani Lillard (Bowie, Md.) hit a jumper to cut Wentworth's lead to 3-2. The Leopards had taken a 3-0 lead on free throws from sophomore Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) and senior Carly Rogers. Senior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) hit a three with 5:01 left to make it 6-2 and the Black & Gold would close out the quarter on an 11-2 run to lead by 10 at the end of the first quarter.
New England College scored the first three points of the second quarter, however it would take until 3:27 into the frame before the first field goal was scored. Senior Megan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn) countered with a 3-pointer, which broke a span of 8:22 the Leopards had been held without a field goal and would put Wentworth ahead 17-7. Two straight baskets by New England College cut the lead to 17-11, which would be the score at the half.
The Pilgrims scored five of the next seven points and closed the gap to three (19-16) with 7:10 left on a junior Breana Ramirez (Paterson, N.J.) basket. A 9-2 run – with McLaughlin scoring five points and Rogers scoring four – increased the lead to 10 with 2:25 left before New England College went on a 9-0 run to close the quarter and trailed by just one at the end of three quarters.
McLaughlin and Camara hit 3-pointers sandwiched around a Lillard basket which made it a 34-29 game with 6:39 left. Four straight Pilgrim points made it 34-33 with 6:04 left. Camara and freshman Mikala Malboeuf (Fitchburg, Mass.) traded shots from behind the arc and New England College took its first lead of the game with junior Utshana Durham (Brooklyn, N.Y.) making a layup with 4:19 left.
Rogers and Camara had baskets sandwiched around a Lillard basket and gave Wentworth a 41-40 lead with 1:58 left. After the Pilgrims missed a shot, Rogers was fouled and hit both free throws to make it a three-point game with a minute left. New England College turned the ball over only to get the ball back after a Leopard turnover with 32 seconds left. Junior Tiffany Davis (Baltimore, Md.) hit a basket with 24 ticks left to make it a one-point game. Wentworth would turn the ball over and the ensuing possession but would get the ball back after a missed shot.
Off the miss, the Leopards missed a pair of free throws with seven seconds left, which set the stage for Moore's heroics.
Davis scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win while Lillard had nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and six steals. The Pilgrims, who held the Leopards to 28 percent shooting from the floor, had a 49-28 rebounding advantage.
Three players – McLaughlin, Rogers, and Camara – had 11 points apiece for Wentworth. Rogers also had eight rebounds and four steals.
Both teams play on Saturday at Gordon with New England College playing the host Fighting Scots at 3:00. The Leopards will play Lesley at 1:00.