Women’s Basketball Falls to Roger Williams in Overtime, 76-72

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team dropped a 76-72 overtime-decision to Roger Williams Wednesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions sink to 13-9 on the year and 8-7 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the result. The Hawks improve to 14-8 overall and 11-4 in league play with the win.

Kristina Kaczmarek (Chatsworth, Calif.) netted a team-high 15 points and grabbed three boards. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) tallied 14 points and dished out four assists. Elia Salazar (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds while Krystal Holl (Smithsburg, Md.) added 10 points.

Eastern Nazarene raced out to a 9-5 lead midway through the first quarter as Salazar tossed in a layup.

Roger Williams pulled even with 34 seconds remaining in the opening period on a trey by Rachel Battista as the two teams were deadlocked at 14-14 entering the second stanza.

The Hawks chalked up the first seven points of the second frame to establish a 21-14 advantage with 7:05 remaining.

 The Lions cut the deficit to five with 2:17 to go in the quarter on a three-pointer by Fraser, 27-22.

The visitors tacked on a free throw by Battista to hold a 28-22 lead at halftime.

Eastern Nazarene shot 28.1% from the floor in the first half and 28.6% from three-point range. Roger Williams sported a field-goal percentage of 37.9% at the break and drained 3-of-7 attempts from long distance.

Salazar paced the home side at intermission with eight points while Celina Calderon (Lompoc, Calif.) chipped in with five points.

The Lions started the third quarter on a 12-6 run to tie the score at 34-34 on a turned-around jumper by Kaczmarek with 4:13 left to play.

Eastern Nazarene seized a two-point edge with under two minutes remaining in the third as Kaczmarek knocked down a basket, 41-39.

A fast-break layup by Jasmine Mata (Santa Barbara, Calif.) beat the third-period horn to give the hosts a 43-39 lead heading to the fourth frame.

The Lions stretched the gap to six with 7:34 remaining in regulation as Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) banked in a layup, 52-46.

Roger Williams reclaimed a one-point margin as Angelica Ariola scored a fast-break layup with 2:23 left to play, 61-60.

After Kaczmarek drained another basket to put Eastern Nazarene up by one, Ariola leveled the score at 62-62 for the Hawks with a free throw.

The Lions nearly netted a buzzer-beater but Kaczmarek's bid caught iron and bounced out, sending the game to overtime with the teams knotted at 62-62.

In the extra session, Roger Williams outscored Eastern Nazarene 14-10 to collect its 11th conference win. Eight of the Hawks' 14 points in overtime came from the charity stripe.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 37% while connecting on 33.3% of their attempts from beyond the arc. The Hawks shot 41.3% in the contest and 33.3% from the perimeter.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene heads west to square off against Western New England February 13.