Women’s Basketball Surges Past Salve Regina, 64-52

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team kicked off the 2016 calendar year with a 64-52 victory over Salve Regina Tuesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 7-4 on the season and 2-2 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Seahawks dip to 3-8 overall and 2-2 in league play.

Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) poured in a team-high 13 points off the bench and grabbed five rebounds. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards while also dishing out five assists. Jessica Franco (Phoenix, Ariz.) netted nine points and gathered five rebounds. Chelesey Kyle (Omaha, Neb.), Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) and Celina Calderon (Lompoc, Calif.) all chipped in with seven points.

Eastern Nazarene strung together 11 consecutive points to build up a 17-8 lead with 1:34 left to play in the first quarter.

Salve Regina cut the deficit to seven with 29 seconds to go in the opening period as the Lions held a 17-10 lead at the first break.

The Seahawks started the second quarter on a 7-2 run to narrow the gap to 19-17 with 6:52 remaining.

The Lions responded with 10 straight points to expand their lead to a dozen, 29-17, with 3:08 on the clock.

Eastern Nazarene sported a 34-25 advantage at the midway point of the game.

Greer scored nine points in the first half to lead Eastern Nazarene while Kyle notched five points.

The home team shot 38.2% from the field in the first half and 50% from long distance. The visitors boasted a field-goal percentage of 35.5% in the opening half while sinking 2-of-6 attempts from three-point range.

Franco tallied the final six points of the third stanza for the Lions, including a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to play to give them a 50-36 cushion heading into the fourth.

Eastern Nazarene maintained a double-digit lead throughout the final quarter en route to securing its third-consecutive victory.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 35.6% and connected on 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Seahawks shot 34.4% from the floor and 27.3% from the perimeter.

Meaghan Harden paced Salve Regina with 17 points on the night.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene seeks its fourth-straight win with a road contest at Wentworth January 7.