WATERVILLE, Maine – Trailing by 17 points at the half, the Wentworth women's basketball team held Thomas to 29.2 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored the Terriers, 43-24, to take a 74-72 non-league victory and head into final exams with a 5-3 record.
A back-and-forth start to the game saw five ties and two lead changes as Wentworth battled back from an early five-point deficit and a six-point deficit midway through the half. With the score tied at 25-all with eight minutes left, the host Terriers went on a 23-2 run to take a 48-27 lead with 34 seconds left in the half. Scoring the final four points of the half, Wentworth, which held a 24-11 rebound edge in the first half, trailed, 48-31.
The Leopards chipped away at the lead, using a 15-3 run over the opening 4:27 of the second half and trailed, 51-46, when freshman Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) buried a jumper with 15:33 to play. Thomas scored the next five points as senior Mallorie Blankley (Fairfield, Maine) and classmate Kellie Martel (Cambridge, Maine) combined for the offense.
Wentworth trailed by nine (58-49) with 10:16 remaining but Kerr helped the Leopards back in the game, scoring nine points in an 11-1 run and her two free throws with 4:14 remaining gave Wentworth a 62-61 lead. Blankley followed with a basket on the Terriers' next possession, but six straight Wentworth points gave the Leopards the lead for good at 68-63 with 2:40 left.
Thomas cut the lead to one on three separate occasions, including when Blankley hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to make it a 73-72 game. With nine seconds left, junior Meagan Pennock (Littleton, N.H.) hit one of two free throws to push the lead back to a pair. Thomas had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but the shot would hit the backboard.
Kerr posted career highs with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead four Wentworth players in double digits. Fifteen of Kerr's 19 points came in the second half. Sophomore Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) had 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, while Pennock and senior Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) each had 12 points. Vallone had a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with five assists, two blocks, and three steals. The Leopards held a 52-25 rebound advantage for the game.
For the Terriers, Martel led all scorers with 23 points, which included seven three-pointers, and had five assists. Blankley and senior Ashley Allen (Robbinston, Maine) each added 12 points.
Wentworth is idle until Dec. 19 when the Leopards play St. Vincent's in the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Shootout. Thomas, which dropped its second straight to fall to 2-5, is idle until Jan. 8 when the Terriers travel to Colby.
