BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore guard Elizabeth Klizi (Waverly, Pa.) score 10 of her team-high 12 points in the second half to help the Roger Williams women's basketball team rally from a four-point halftime deficit and defeat Wentworth, 58-49, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.
The Hawks opened the game with a 10-4 advantage before a 7-0 run – keyed by five points from sophomore forward Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) gave the Leopards an 11-10 lead with 14:49 left in the half. Roger Williams countered with a 9-2 spurt of its own and lead, 19-13, after a senior guard Nicole Atchue (North Grafton, Mass.) basket with 9:46 to play.
Wentworth cut the lead to 21-20 on a senior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) basket and took the lead on a fast break basket from junior guard Meagan Pennock (Littleton, N.H.). The lead would change hands three more times before a sophomore guard Jordan Biggar (Beverly, Mass.) three began a 9-0 run which gave the Leopards a 33-26 lead. A three pointer by freshman guard Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) with 53 seconds left cut the lead to 33-29 at the break.
Roger Williams opened the second half on a 12-2 run, taking a 41-35 lead on a Kilzi basket with 15:08 remaining. The Hawks would extend their lead to as many as nine with 9:56 left before six straight points from Vallone cut the margin to three (46-43) with 7:51 left. That would be as close as the hosts would come as an 8-1 run gave Roger Williams a 54-44 lead with 2:22 remaining.
Bovee and sophomore forward Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) each added 11 points, with Bovee grabbing 11 rebounds and Lanieri recording nine caroms. The Hawks, who held a 39-27 rebounding edge for the game, held Wentworth to 29.4 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.
Biggar scored 13 points and had four assists, while Vallone adding 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Sophomore guard Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) had nine points.
Winners of four in a row, Roger Williams improves to 10-3 overall and 3-0 in TCCC play. The Hawks are at Gordon on Wednesday. Wentworth sees its two-game win streak come to a halt, falling to 8-7 (2-1). The Leopards are at Western New England on Wednesday.
