Women’s Basketball Powers Past Western New England, 76-61

QUINCY, Mass.- A balanced offensive attack propelled the Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team to a 76-61 win over Western New England Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 10-5 on the year and 5-3 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play. The Golden Bears sink to 8-7 overall and 5-3 in league action with the loss.

Jasmine Mata (Santa Barbara, Calif.) netted a team-high 18 points and added six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) pitched in with 17 points and five boards off the bench. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists. Elia Salazar (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished with 12 points and a team-best eight boards.

The hosts sprinted out of the gates to seize a 10-1 lead less than four minutes into the game.

After Eastern Nazarene extended its advantage to 10 points with four minutes to go in the first quarter, Western New England chalked up the final three points of the frame to cut the deficit to 14-8 heading into the second.

The Lions opened the second period on an 8-0 run to widen the margin to 15 points with 8:18 left to play in the quarter on a layup by Salazar, 23-8.

The Golden Bears trimmed the gap to four points with two minutes to go until halftime as Paige Young knocked down a jumper, 32-28.

The home team bounced back with a three-pointer by Fraser and a layin by Salazar to restore the lead to nine, 37-28.

After Western New England drained a jumper late in the half, Fraser capped off the second stanza with a pair of free throws with less than a tick remaining on the clock to give Eastern Nazarene a 39-30 lead at the break.

Greer and Salazar paced the hosts with 10 points in the first half while Fraser notched seven points.

The Lions shot 47.1% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and just 16.7% from beyond the arc. The Golden Bears sported a field-goal percentage of 38.2% at halftime to go with 28.6% shooting from the perimeter.

Eastern Nazarene stretched its advantage to 22-point cushion with 2:35 left to play in the third quarter as Mata sank a pair of free throws, 62-40.

Western New England closed out the third period on a 5-0 run to trail 62-45 entering the fourth frame.

The home team maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth stanza to pick up its 10th win of the season. The guests edged the Lions 16-14 in fourth-quarter scoring.

Chelsea Vujs poured in a game-high 24 points and hauled in eight rebounds to pave the way for the Golden Bears.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene visits the Ocean State for an important matchup at Roger Williams January 19.