Women’s Hoops Posts Third-Straight Win, Prevails at Pine Manor 67-47

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team notched its third-consecutive win Tuesday evening, powering past Pine Manor 67-47 in a non-league battle.

The Lions escalate to 3-0 on the year with the victory while the Gators slide to 0-3 overall.

Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) paced the visitors with 14 points while adding seven rebounds. Ashley Rendon (La Puente, Calif.) finished with 12 points off the bench and Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) tallied 11 points and eight boards. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds to go with six assists in the contest.

"I'm proud of the way we fought back after not starting the game off well. Pine Manor is an extremely athletic team and definitely tested our defensive ability. That was a good win and I feel we got better today," said head coach Sacha Santimano.

The hosts burst out to a 7-3 lead early in the opening period as Shaquanda Middleton chalked up five points and Erica Jones added a bucket.

Pine Manor stretched its lead to 18-9 with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter on a three-pointer by Middleton.

Eastern Nazarene cut the deficit to 18-13 after 10 minutes of play as Bailee Smith (Plano, Texas) and Cooper both sank two free throws.

The Lions utilized an 8-0 run to tie the score at 27-27 on a layup by Holmes with 3:01 remaining in the second quarter.

The guests grabbed their first lead of the game with 1:27 to go in the second as Holmes tossed in a layup, 31-29.

Eastern Nazarene clung to a four-point edge at the midway point of the game, 33-29.

The Lions connected on 12-of-41 field-goal attempts in the first half and 4-of-14 attempts from long distance. Pine Manor shot 32.4% from the floor in the opening two quarters.

A 13-2 string widened the visitors' advantage to 46-34 with three minutes left to play in the third period.

Eastern Nazarene held a 51-39 lead heading into the fourth frame.

The Lions outscored the Gators 16-8 in the final 10 minutes of action to secure their third-consecutive win.

The guests shot 37.5% from the floor and 29.4% from the perimeter on the night. The home side was limited to 22.9% shooting from the field and just 10.7% from beyond the arc.

Middleton posted a game-high 15 points for Pine Manor.

After the Thanksgiving holiday, Eastern Nazarene will return to the hardwood November 26 to host Daniel Webster.