BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore guard Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had three steals, while freshman guard Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) came off the bench to score 14 points and grab four rebounds and the Wentworth women's basketball team held on to hand Simmons its first loss with a 54-51 triumph in a non-league contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.
The host Leopards, who snapped a two-game skid, held the Sharks without a field goal for the first 12:12 of the game as Simmons' lone points came from the free throw line. During that time Wentworth led by as many as eight, and, after leading by four with 2:19 left in the half, scored the final six points to take a 10-point (29-19) halftime lead. Over the first 20:00, the Leopards held the Sharks to just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) from the floor.
Leading 31-23 with 16:52 to play, Wentworth went on a 15-0 run over the next 7:42 and took its largest lead of the game, 46-23, on a fastbreak layup by sophomore forward Morgan Furman (Falmouth, Maine) with 9:10 remaining. The Sharks wouldn't go away quietly, though, as the visitors cut a 20-point deficit to just three with a 19-2 run over a span of 6:12. During the run, sophomore forward Emily Thomas (Cheshire, Conn.) had five points, sophomore guard Liz O'Connor (Milton, Mass.) had four points, while junior guard Brittany Dolloff's (Hollis, N.H.) two free throws with 1:05 left cut the lead to three.
Senior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) hit a pair of free throws with 1:01 left to up the lead to 52-47. A fastbreak layup by O'Connor cut the lead back to three, and, after a pair of missed free throws, Thomas hit a layup with 7.7 seconds left to cut the lead to one. Vallone hit two free throws with 4.8 seconds left to extend the lead before a pair of missed Simmons free throws with 0.9 seconds left sealed the win.
Vallone added 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the win, with Furman chipping in with six points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Wentworth held Simmons to 25.0 percent shooting from the floor on the night.
Thomas led all scorers with 17 points, while O'Connor scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half for the Sharks. Thomas also had eight rebounds and four steals.
With the win Wentworth improves to 3-2 on the year and is at Pine Manor on Wednesday night. Simmons falls to 4-1 and is at Fitchburg State Thursday night.
