BRISTOL, R.I. –The Roger Williams University women's basketball team earned its third straight victory with a 62-49 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Roger Williams improves to 8-6 overall and 4-3 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, while the Leopards fall back to .500 at 7-7 and 2-5 in the conference.
The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to an 11-0 lead over the first five minutes of the contest. Roger Williams hit its first eight shots of the game, while the Leopards went 0-3 from the field while committing five turnovers before scoring their first point. A basket by Alexandra Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) at the 12:23 mark gave the Hawks their largest lead up to that point, a 17-point advantage that made it a 20-3 game in favor of RWU.
Wentworth shot only 5-of-23 from the field in the half, with the Hawks forcing 13 Leopard turnovers. RWU would ultimately take a 33-17 lead going into the break.
However, the second half turned out to be a reversal of both teams' fortunes. The Hawks' managed only two points over a nine-minute stretch, as the Leopards rallied off a 19-2 run over the opening nine minutes of the period, capped off by a three-pointer by Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) to give Wentworth a 36-35 lead.
Both teams traded baskets over the next two possessions, before Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) put in a layup to give the Hawks a 39-38 advantage with 10:34 to go. Her bucket helped spark a 9-2 run to bring the lead back to six. Wentworth's Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:50 left, but another 9-2 Hawk run over the next three minutes put RWU's lead at ten, and kept the game out of Wentworth's reach.
The Hawks were led by Bovee with 16 points and six rebounds. Lanieri finished with 15 points and six rebounds, as well four steals. Elizabeth Kilzi (Waverly, Pa.) added ten points and four assists, while Ari Renwick (Westwood, Mass.) had nine points, four boards, and three steals off the bench.
Kerr notched a double-double for Wentworth finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ashley Stowe (Voluntown, Conn.) scored a game and career-high 19 points with eight rebounds. Conway and Rachel Camara (Fall River, Mass.) each finished with five points, three assists, and a steal.
Roger Williams travels to Nichols College on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. CCC matchup, while Wentworth hosts Salve Regina at the same time.
(Recap courtesy of Roger Williams Athletic Communications)
