Women’s Basketball Cruises to 71-50 Win over Wentworth Tuesday

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team picked up its first league victory of the year, topping Wentworth 71-50 Tuesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 5-2 on the season and 1-2 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the win. The Leopards sink to 1-7 overall and 0-3 in league play with the outcome.

Ashley Rendon (La Puente, Calif.) recorded 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in the contest. Jessica Franco (Phoenix, Ariz.) finished with 10 points, four boards and two steals. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) notched nine points while adding four rebounds, three assists and one block. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) tallied seven points and grabbed a team-high nine boards.

The home side built up an early 11-5 lead after a 6-0 run capped off by a free throw by Rendon with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.

Eastern Nazarene stretched the gap to nine with less than a minute left to play in the opening frame on a put-back layup by Bailee Smith (Plano, Texas), 16-7.

Wentworth cut the margin to 16-9 at the end of the first as Sam McGibbon beat the buzzer with a bucket.

The Lions widened their lead to 11, 23-12, with 4:10 left in the second period on a layup by Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas).

The home side sported a 27-15 lead at the midway point of the contest after holding the Leopards to just six points in the second quarter.

Eastern Nazarene pushed its advantage to 18 points just two minutes into the third quarter as Fraser deposited a layup, 35-17.

The Lions boasted a 21-point lead heading into the fourth frame after Torio drained a trey in the waning seconds of the third, 50-29.

Both squads chalked up 21 points in the fourth quarter as Eastern Nazarene sealed its first conference victory of the season.

The Lions shot 37.5% from the floor on the night and 33.3% from the perimeter. The Leopards were limited to 23.9% shooting from the field and 27.3% shooting from beyond the arc.

Samantha Madden and Haley Sabino paced Wentworth with nine points each in the game.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene caps off its three-game homestand with an out-of-conference battle against Becker December 8.