NORTON, Mass. – Fueled by a strong second-half performance, the Anchorwomen of Rhode Island College defeated the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's basketball team, 57-38, in the Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Wentworth (0-3) trailed by just a single point at the halftime break, but were outscored in the second half, 35-17, keeping RIC undefeated at 3-0.
Sophomore Stephanie Mini (Topsfield, Mass.) led all scorers with 15 points on the night, and steered Wentworth to a 16-11 lead after the first quarter. A 5-0 run from the Anchorwomen tied the score 16-16, before senior Francesca Matira (Ledyard, Conn.) sank a floater outside the paint to keep Wentworth ahead by two. The Leopards had an answer for every basket the Anchorwomen scored, before freshman Analeesia Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.) put Rhode Island College in front, 22-21. Neither team capitalized offensively in the final 3:30 of the first half, as the score held going into halftime.
RIC shot 47.1% in the third quarter, and came out of the break scoring 10 straight points while limiting Wentworth to zero. Sophomore Erin Morton (Norway, Maine) scored four of Wentworth's six points in the third quarter.
Mini was back on track in the final 10 minutes of play, scoring seven points in the final quarter, but was matched by freshman Jamayra Castro (Bellingham, Mass.) as RIC carried its lead into the final whistle.
Mini added four rebounds to her line, while senior Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) led the Leopards on the boards with eight rebounds with three points. Morton scored eight points with six rebounds and six assists, and junior Emily Magasic (West Milford, N.J.), sophomore Molly Duclos (Greenfield, Mass.), and Matira rounded out team scoring with four points apiece.
Wentworth will face the host Lyons tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
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