BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) scored a game-high 17 points – including going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 36 seconds as the Wentworth women's basketball team held off a late Eastern Nazarene charge with a 52-46 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at Tansey Gymnasium. The win improves the Leopards to 3-2 overall (1-1 in league play) and surpasses last season's win total of two.
The hosts held the Lions off the scoreboard for the first 5:39 and without a field goal for the 6:19 and used a 10-2 run to open up a 17-5 lead with 6:31 to play. Eastern Nazarene cut the lead to eight with 5:26 left in the half. Five straight points – including a 3-pointer from Conway on a fast break – gave Wentworth a 22-9 lead with 3:06 left and the Leopards led, 22-13, at the break.
Wentworth led by 11 (26-15) after a pair of freshman Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) free throws with 18:41 left in the contest, but Eastern Nazarene responded with a 10-2 run and trailed by just three (28-25) on a junior Presley Neufeld (Seattle, Wash.) layup with 14:52 left. During the run senior Mel Green (Annapolis, Md.) had four points for the Lions.
The Leopards got a basket from junior Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) and a pair of free throws from Conway to push the lead to seven, but the Lions scored the next five points, capped off by a 3-pointer from freshman Jordan Grays (Elk Grove, Calif.), and trailed by a pair with 11:23 left.
After a Kerr jumper made it a 39-35 game with 3:15 left Green hit two free throws and senior Shandrae Brown (Waterbury, Conn.) hit one of two to slice the lead to one with 1:26 left. Kerr would hit two free throws and on the ensuing possession, junior Ashley Stowe (Voluntown, Conn.) grabbed a key defensive rebound and was fouled, which started a stretch of 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch for the Black & Gold to seal the win.
Stowe added 10 points, while Kerr had nine points – all in the second half – and a game-high 17 board. Senior Jordan Biggar (Beverly, Mass.) added seven points and five rebounds, while freshman Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine.) had six rebounds.
Eastern Nazarene was led by Brown and Neufeld, both of who had nine points. Brown also grabbed 10 rebounds and Neufeld had four assists. Green had eight points – all in the second half. The Lions were held to 25 percent shooting from the floor for the game.
The Lions saw their two-game win streak snapped, falling to 4-2 (1-1) and host Pine Manor on Monday night. That same night Wentworth hosts Simmons.
