Wentworth Falls in First Semester Finale

(Portions Courtesy of RIT Sports Information)

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT women's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 72-61 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology on Sunday evening.  The Tigers' Sharon Dennis (Liverpool, N.Y.) set the school record for blocks in a game with 11 on the afternoon. She tallied a triple-double with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks.

The visiting Leopards jumped out to an early, 8-2 lead with just under five minutes elapsed in the contest, thanks to four points from Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) and a three pointer from Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.).  After the Tigers cut the lead to 10-8 with 12:40 left in the half, Wentworth used a 7-0 run over the next 2:20 to extend its lead to seven (17-10).  RIT closed out the half on a 23-5 run and led by 11 at the break.  Over the first 20:00, the Tigers held the Leopards to 22.2 percent shooting from the field.

RIT broke the game open with a 10-1 run to start the second half and never looked back.  The Tigers shot 50 percent from the floor in the second stanza on 13-of-26 shooting from the floor.  Dennis led the Tigers in the second half with 12 points, six rebounds, six blocks and two steals, while Leslie Havens (Wayland, N.Y.) chipped in nine points.

Havens finished the game with 11 points, while senior co-captain Danielle Furman added six points and six assists for the Tigers, who evened their record at 4-4 and are idle until Jan. 5 with they face Empire 8 rival Nazareth.

Fauci poured in a career-high 23 points to go along with five assists and five steals, while junior Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well as three steals.  Conway finished with 12 points.  The Leopards saw their two-game win streak come to an end, finishing first semester play with a 4-5 record.  Wentworth opens 2010 with a home game against Western Connecticut on Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m.