Women's Basketball Closes out First Semester Play

BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Kristie Zator (Windham, Conn.) scored 16 points to help the MCLA women's basketball team (2-8) hold off Wentworth Institute of Technology, 41-40, in non-conference play Saturday afternoon.

The back-and-forth contest featured five ties and 16 lead changes, including eight lead changes in the second quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both teams got off to a slow start with MCLA eventually taking a 6-2 lead with 5:02 left in the opening quarter after a jumper from sophomore Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, Mass.). Wentworth countered with a layup from junior Gabby Amoddio (Wethersfield, Conn.) and tied the game with 1:49 left after a layup from freshman Aissata Conde (Brockton, Mass.). A layup from sophomore Hailey Peabody (West Springfield, Mass.) gave the Trailblazers an 8-6 lead before Conde hit one of two free throws with 43 seconds left to make it a one-point contest.
• The teams traded baskets over the first 2:10 of the second quarter with Conde giving the Leopards a 13-12 lead with 7:50 left. Freshman Samantha Jones (Beverly, Mass.) extended the lead to three (15-12) with a jumper 33 seconds later, however, four straight points from Peabody gave MCLA a 16-15 lead with 6:22 left. After junior Maddy Foster (Lewiston, Maine) made a layup to give the Black & Gold a 17-16 lead, the Trailblazers used a 9-2 run – capped off by a Zator three – which gave MCLA a 26-19 lead with 54 seconds left in the half. Foster cut the lead to 26-22 at the break when she buried a three as time expired.
• Scoring the first five points of the second half, Wentworth took a 27-26 lead on an Amoddio layup with 6:53 left. After a back-and-forth quarter, Foster's layup with 49 seconds left gave the Leopards a 32-30 lead after three quarters.
• A three-point play from freshman Kaylee Ray (Windham, Conn.) gave MCLA a 33-32 lead, the first of five lead changes in the final quarter. However, Amoddio countered with a jumper of her own to give the hosts a 34-33 lead. Six straight points from Zator gave the Trailblazers a 41-36 lead with 3:40 left. Conde made a layup with 2:35 left to cut the lead to three (41-38) and, with 46 seconds left, sophomore Reagan Madonia (Corrales, N.M.) made it a one-point game.
• With 34.7 seconds left, Wentworth forced a turnover, however, gave the ball back with 25.6 ticks to go. Two missed free throws gave the ball back to the Black & Gold with 24.1 seconds left. A go-ahead jumper attempt from Amoddio was off the mark but Jones grabbed the offensive rebound, giving Wentworth a second chance to take the lead. Out of a time out, a game-winning three-point attempt rimmed out just before time expired.
• In addition to her 16 points, Zator had six rebounds and five steals. Peabody added 14 points and eight rebounds.
• Conde recorded a career-high 16 points, while Foster added nine and grabbed 11 rebounds. Amoddio scored six, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Wentworth had a 44-34 rebounding advantage.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth leads the all-time series, 2-1.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth takes a break for the holidays before returning to action on Tuesday, January 2, when the Leopards travel to Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Suffolk.

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.