CHESNUT HILL, Mass. – The Wentworth women's basketball team scored a record-setting 29 points in the third quarter and rolled to a 66-42 victory over Pine Manor College on Saturday afternoon on Brunelli Court.
Paced by 12 points in the first quarter from sophomore Stephanie Mini (Topsfield, Mass.), the Leopards jumped to a double-digit lead midway through the first ten minutes, 13-3, capped by a trey from classmate Erin Morton (Norway, Maine). The Gators would scored the final seven of 11 points to close the half, but Wentworth stayed in front to hold a 17-10 lead after the first quarter.
Junior Emily Magasic (New Milford, N.J.) gave Wentworth six points over the next ten minutes on 3-for-7 shooting from the floor, but Pine Manor got at least two points from the starting five, including five from Arielle Harrell. A 6-0 run from the Gators pulled the hosts within one, 17-16, and kept the gap at a single point twice more before a Magasic layup kept WIT in front, 23-20. With 3:08 to play following a layup from Kiana Wilkerson, Harrell sank a deep trey, giving Pine Manor its first lead of the game. The home-court lead wouldn't last for long, again answered with a bucket from Magasic, as both teams had 25 points each heading into halftime.
The Leopards exploded for 29 points in the third stanza, the highest number of points scored in a quarter for Wentworth since the game switched from two halves to four quarters at the start of the 2015-16 season. Wentworth never surrundered the lead after the start of a new half, as junior Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) capped an 11-2 run for the Leopards with a three pointer on the transition from a Magasic block. Morton went a solid 5-for-6 throughout the third quarter with 12 points overall, heading into the final ten minutes of play when classmate Molley Duclos (Greenfield, Mass.) gave Wentworth its largest lead of the game, 56-31, with 9:06 left in regulation. Wentworth's final 10 points to conclude the contest secured the 66-42 victory, the largest winning margin for the Leopards since the 2015-16 season.
Mini shot over 50% from all spots of the floor, and recorded a game-high 18 points, her third straight game in double figures. Morton registered her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 15 rebounds, a season-high on the boards. Mini and senior Michelle McCloskley (Madison, Conn.) also jumped up for three blocks apiece. Collectively, the Leopards shot 100% from the free throw line, all of which came from Mini.
Wentworth steps back into conference action with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Curry on Wednesday. The game will be held as a conference-wide initiative to raise awareness for Mental Health, as the basketball coaches of the CCC have been working closely with an organized called Hope Happens Here (http://hopehappenshere.co) to break the stigma.
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