Wentworth Holds on to Defeat Roger Williams, 58-57

(Courtesy of Roger Williams Sports Information)

BRISTOL, R.I. – Wentworth Institute of Technology staved off a late rally by the Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team, as the Leopards were able to squeak away with a 58-57 win Saturday afternoon to remain undefeated in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.

The Leopards led 29-23 at halftime and were up by as many as 12 in the second half before the Hawks mounted the comeback. Trailing 30-42 at the 14:37 mark, Roger Williams cut the deficit to seven on a pair of jumpers by Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and a free throw by Carly Spagnola (Millbrook, N.Y.). Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) stretched the lead back to nine on the other end with a jump shot of her own for Wentworth.

Roger Williams slowly clawed its way back into the game with a 10-2 run, capped off by a free throw by Lanieri to make it a 45-46 game in favor of the Wentworth with 6:07 left. Yet the Leopards came back with a 10-2 run of their own, highlighted by Jessie Coffee knocking down a three-pointer as she was fouled on the play.

Wentworth appeared to be on its way to an easy win, leading 58-48 with 1:26 to play, yet the Hawk defense clamped down in the final 90 seconds of action, forcing a turnover, missed shot, and missed free throw on the final three Leopard possessions. Conversely, RWU got a layup by Ryan Weekes (Worcester, Mass.) and a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Elizabeth Kilzi (Waverly, Pa.) on its last three possessions to trail 55-58 with 22 seconds to play.

After the Leopards missed the first free throw of a 1-and-1 that could have potentially put the game away for them, Weekes grabbed the rebound for RWU to give the Hawks a chance to send the game into overtime. On the final Hawk possession, Weekes put up the potential game-tying three from the right wing, but Morgan Furman (Falmouth, Maine) made a crucial block on the shot. The loose ball found its way to Lanieri, who kicked it back out to Weekes for another three. Weekes put up the shot and drained it as the buzzer sounded, yet the referees ruled the jumper a two-point basket, allowing Wentworth to escape with the one-point win.

Five players scored in double figures for Wentworth, including Furman and Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.), who led the Leopards with 12 points each. Coffey, Vallone, and Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) each added ten.

Lanieri notched her second-straight double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kilzi added 13 points and three steals, while Weekes contributed eight points and eight boards.

Roger Williams (5-9, 1-2 TCCC) will host Gordon College Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., while Wentworth (7-7, 3-0 TCCC) hosts Colby College Monday at 6:00 p.m.