BOSTON, Mass. – With a 54-35 win over Nichols, the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's basketball team clinched the number eight seed in the upcoming Commonwealth Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.
The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Leopards who conclude the regular season at 8-16 (5-13 CCC) while the Bison, who will be number seven seed, end the regular season at 11-14 (6-12).
Seniors Ashley Stowe (Charlestown, R.I.), Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) and Christine Henry (Tewksbury, Mass.) combined for 23 points and 18 rebounds in the victory. They, along with classmate Danielle Miranda (Westbrook, Maine), were honored prior to the game as a part of Senior Day festivities.
The two teams traded baskets through the first four minutes and were tied at eight. Stowe led the Leopards during the opening stretch with six points. Kerr then gave Wentworth their first lead at 11-10 with an elbow jumper at the 13:09 mark. A sophomore Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) layup then extended the Leopards lead to three, 13-10, with 9:25 left.
After a freshman Jessica Kelliher (Marshfield, Mass.) jumper cut the Wentworth lead to one, sophomore Rachel Camara (Fall River, Mass.) hit a 3-pointer from the wing to push the advantage to 16-12 with 8:17 left in the half. Freshman Chelsey Mahoney (Dracut, Mass.) pulled the Bison back within one at 16-15 on a backdoor layup with 4:38 left.
The Leopards answered by holding Nichols scoreless for the remainder of the half and building their lead to 21-15 with Kerr hitting a short jumper from the circle, followed by Camara's second three of the half with 17 seconds remaining.
Kelliher opened the second half with a corner jump-shot to cut the Bison deficit to four, but sophomore Megan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn.) responded with Wentworth's third three of the game to bump the lead to 24-17 at the 18:10 mark. After a Stowe layup gave Wentworth a nine-point lead, freshman Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) completed a three-point play to get Nichols back within six. Henry then struck quickly hitting the Leopards' fourth three of the game to make the score 29-20. After a defensive stop, Rogers drove to the basket and made a contested layup with a foul. The free-throw increased the Wentworth lead to 13, at 33-20 with 14:50 to play. Stowe and Kerr added baskets capping a 16-5 run to give the Leopards a 37-20 lead.
After the teams traded hoops, McLaughlin hit her second three, the team's fifth, to give the Leopards a 20 point advantage, 42-22 with 6:22 remaining. The teams would play even down the stretch and the Leopards took the game 54-35.
Stowe, Camara, and Rogers all scored in double figures with Roger's 11 points and five rebounds leading the way. Stowe added 10 points and four rebounds, while Camara had 10 points (2-3 from three), five rebounds and six assists. Kerr chipped in nine points, 13 rebounds, and seven steals. McLaughlin scored eight and pulled down four rebounds and had five assists in the victory.
Wegrzynek lead Nichols with a double-double, 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kelliher chipped in eight points and two assists, while freshman Brittany Donovan (Newport, R.I.) scored six points and had three rebounds.
Both teams will travel on Tuesday for a CCC quarterfinal round game. Wentworth will travel, for the second season in a row, to top-seeded and nationally ranked University of New England while Nichols will travel to second-seeded Roger Williams. Both games will begin at 7:00 p.m.
