QUINCY, Mass. – Senior Jessica Franco (Phoenix, Ariz.) and junior Ashley Rendon (La Puente, Calif.) each scored 10 points to help lift the Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team to a 71-50 victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at the Lahue Physical Education Center.
With the win the Lions snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in CCC play. The Leopards slip to 1-7 (0-3) with the loss.
Junior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) gave Wentworth an early, 3-2 lead after she buried a three pointer 1:21 into the contest. Eastern Nazarene countered with a 10-2 run and took a 12-3 lead on a free throw from Rendon. Sophomore Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) ended the run with a layup and, after four straight Lion points, freshman Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) made it a 16-9 game at the end of the first quarter.
Despite shooting 22.2 percent from the floor in the second quarter, Eastern Nazarene forced Wentworth to shoot 14.3 percent. McGibbon ended a drought of nearly 1:30 to start the quarter as she drained a three to cut the lead to 16-12. The Lions used an 8-1 run to take a 24-13 lead on a Rendon free throw with 2:29 left. Junior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) ended the run on the next possession with a jumper, however Eastern Nazarene score the last three points of the half to lead 27-15 at the break.
An 8-2 Lion run to open the third quarter extended the lead to 35-17. McGibbon hit a three with 4:33 left in the quarter to make it a 41-25 game and two freshman Samantha Madden (Plainville, Mass.) free throws with 1:47 left made it 43-29. However, Eastern Nazarene closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run and scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to extend its lead.
Franco was 4-for-5 from the floor, including going 2-for-2 from behind the arc, and had a pair of steals. Rendon had three takeaways and four rebounds. Senior BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) scored nine points and had three assists while junior Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) had seven rebounds.
Sabino and Madden had nine points apiece for Wentworth with McGibbon chipping in eight points. McCloskey had seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, senior Kellie Messer (Hollis, N.H.) had five rebounds and three steals, and sophomore Siobhan Turner (Wilmington, Mass.) had three assists and two steals.
Wentworth is at Pine Manor on Saturday.
