BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Kristin Brice (Indiana, Pa.) scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked three shots to help pace the Emerson College women's basketball team to a 64-54 win over Wentworth in first round play of the Emerson College Tip-Off Tournament.
The host Lions, who advance to tomorrow's championship game, led for the final 38:40 of the game as sophomore Sienna O'Han's basket 1:20 into the contest snapped a 2-all tie and began a 14-2 run over the next six minutes that gave Emerson a 16-4 lead.
Back-to-back baskets by senior Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) and sophomore Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) cut the lead to eight, however the Lions would build their lead back to double digits and led by 11 (26-15) with just under five minutes remaining.
The Leopards pulled back within six with 1:33 left, and, after a three-point play by Brice, sophomore Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) scored the last four points of the half to make it a 31-26 game at the break.
Emerson opened the second half on an 8-2 spurt with six points coming from Brice and held a 39-28 lead with 16:58 left. The teams traded baskets before Camara drained a 3-pointer to begin a 10-2 run that saw the Black & Gold pull within three (43-40) on a senior Christine Henry (Tewksbury, Mass.) jumper with 12:00 left. During the run Camara would score seven points.
The Lions would hold the Leopards without a field goal for the next 6:42, outscoring them by a 12-4 margin during that time and taking an 11-point lead. Trailing by 13 with 4:28 left, a Camara shot from behind the arc and four points from Kerr pulled Wentworth within six, but that would be as close as the Leopards would come.
Brice was 9-for-12 from the floor and 12-for-15 from the charity stripe in the win. Junior Catherine Cloutier (Methuen, Mass.) had eight points and seven rebounds for the Lions (1-0) while sophomores Janice Delzo (Middlesex, N.J.) and Kelsey Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y.) each had seven points. Johnson also had eight rebounds.
Camara had a career-high 18 points for the Leopards (0-1), while also grabbing seven rebounds. Kerr added 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and senior Ashley Stowe (Charlestown, R.I.) had seven points and a team-high nine caroms.
Wentworth will face the loser of the Elmira/Manhattanville game in the consolation game Sunday at 1:00.
