BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Jasmine Mata (Santa Barbara, Calif.) scored a team-high 19 points to go along with four assists as the Eastern Nazarene women's basketball team held on to defeat Wentworth Institute of Technology, 63-58, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.
Winners of four straight the Lions improve to 8-4 overall and 3-2 in CCC play while the Leopards suffered their third straight setback to stand at 4-7 (1-4).
Eastern Nazarene led for most of the first quarter and would hold as much as a six-point edge on two occasions, including when senior Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) made a layup with 1:16 left and would lead 18-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Lions shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the opening frame.
After a three pointer from Mata opened the second quarter and put the Lions ahead by six, Wentworth cut the deficit in half when sophomore Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) hit a free throw and senior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) hit two free throws. Eastern Nazarene would build its lead to as many as 10 with 1:14 left in the half after a three pointer from junior Celina Calderon (Lompoc, Calif.) and led, 36-28, at the break.
Wentworth cut the lead to 38-34 with 6:37 left in the third quarter on a Camara free throw however the Lions scored the next six points to make it 44-34 with 5:46 left. After Sabino hit a free throw and senior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) hit two free throws to make it 44-37, Calderon hit another trifecta to push the lead back to double digits. A three pointer from sophomore Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.), two free throws from Camara, and a layup from Rogers made it a three-point game at the end of three quarters.
Rogers hit two free throws with 8:23 left in the game to trim the lead to one – a deficit the Leopards would get to four more times, including when Rogers scored with 4:52 left. Eastern Nazarene pushed its lead to as many as six twice as sophomore Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) hit a jumper with 3:25 left to make it a 59-53 contest.
Wentworth made it a one-point game with 1:02 left after Rogers converted a layup and Camara hit three free throws. With 11.7 seconds left, Mata hit two free throws to bring it to three and, after a turnover, Mata hit two more form the stripe to seal the win.
Cooper recorded a double double for the Lions as she score 14 points and grabbed 12 boards while dishing out four assists. Eastern Nazarene had a 51-30 advantage on the glass and had 12 points in transition.
Rogers had a game-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds while Camara added 15 points, four assists, and five steals. Sabino finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Both teams are in action on Saturday as Eastern Nazarene hosts Nichols and Wentworth is at Roger Williams.
