Women's Basketball Battles Emerson in Season Opener

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Olivia Deslauriers (West Hartford, Conn.) scored 20 points as the Emerson College women's basketball team held off a late comeback by Wentworth, 71-64, in the season opener for both teams.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

LEADING SCORERS:  Maddy Foster, 20; Nattaly David, 18; Gabby Amodio, 11
LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Amodia, 7; Foster, 7
ASSIST LEADERS:  Francesca Farrell, 4; Abriana Busbey, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Emerson opened the game by scoring the first nine points before a senior Abrianna Busbey (Palmer, Alaska) layup put Wentworth on the board. A three-point play by sophomore Maddy Foster (Lewiston, Maine) brought the Leopards to within three at 12-9 and junior Nattaly David (Hyde Park, Mass.) drained a three with 2:35 left to knot the game at 12-all. The Lions scored the final five points of the frame to take a 17-12 lead after the one quarter of play.
• The Lions scored the first five points of the second quarter, taking a 22-12 lead on a senior Chelsea Gibbons (Foxborough, Mass.) layup 1:40 into the quarter. Sophomore Gabby Amodio (Wethersfield, Conn.) countered with a layup of her own to end the run, however, the hosts scored the next nine points and took a 31-14 lead on a Gibbons basket with 5:11 left. Emerson led by as many as 19 on two occasions, including on a sophomore Devin Hill (Edgartown, Mass.) jumper with 3:16 remaining, which made it 36-17. The Black & Gold used a 9-2 run to close out the half, with David hitting a three with 16 seconds left to close out the frame and pull the Leopards within a dozen (38-26).
• After the teams traded baskets to open the third quarter, David hit a three making it 40-31. Emerson built its lead to 11 with just under six minutes left but David countered with another three, making it 44-36 with 5:39 left. A three from sophomore Brooke Carlson (Contoocook, N.H.) and a layup from Amoddio brought Wentworth to within four (45-41) with 3:10 left. The Lions led, 52-43, after three quarters, ending the quarter on a 7-2 run.
• A layup from junior Ella Bushee (Walpole, N.H.) pushed the Emerson lead back to double digits (54-43) but a layup from sophomore Brianna Carroll (Douglas, Mass.) and a three-point play from Foster pulled Wentworth to within six (54-48). The Lions built their lead to 12 with 2:52 to play, however, an 8-0 run, capped off by a Busbey three-point play, brought Wentworth to within four (65-61) with 1:00 left. The hosts hit four straight free throws and led, 69-61, but Amoddio brought Wentworth within five when she hit a three pointer on the next possession. Deslauriers hit two free throws to extend the lead to seven with 15 seconds left.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Wentworth outscored Emerson in the second half, 38-33 and had 30 points off 23 Lions turnovers.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight 36th all-time meeting between the two teams. Winners of five in a row in the series, Emerson leads all-time, 19-17.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is idle until hosting Northern Vermont-Lyndon on Tuesday, November 15, at 6:00 p.m.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.