Women’s Basketball Collects 62-52 Victory Over Curry

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team claimed a 62-52 win over Curry Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 9-3 on the season and 3-3 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Colonels sink to 4-9 overall and 2-4 in league action.

Senior Jessica Franco (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded her second-consecutive double-double, pouring in a game high 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) finished with nine points and gathered 10 boards. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) notched eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the win.

Eastern Nazarene raced out to an 8-1 lead with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter after a pair of treys by Franco.

Curry trimmed the gap to 10-7 with 3:19 to go in the opening period as Molly Plunkett drilled a three-pointer.

The Lions clung to a 14-12 edge after the first quarter of action.

The hosts netted 15 points in the second quarter while limiting the visitors to just four points as Eastern Nazarene held a 29-16 lead at the halftime intermission.

Eastern Nazarene posted a field-goal percentage of 36.0% in the opening half. Curry shot just 19.2% from the floor in the first two quarters.

The Colonels pulled to within seven, 31-24, as Plunkett knocked down a jumper with 6:52 to go in the third.

The Lions responded with 11 unanswered points to stretch their advantage to 42-24 with 3:02 left to play in the third period.

Eastern Nazarene owned a 44-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Curry narrowed the gap to 46-36 with 5:39 remaining on a bucket by Plunkett.

The home side chalked up three treys to expand the margin to 55-37 with 3:12 left to play in the fourth.

Eastern Nazarene sealed the crucial conference victory with seven made free throws down the stretch.

The Lions shot 33.3% from the floor and 32.0% from three-point range. The Colonels concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 32.8% while mustering just one three-pointer on 11 attempts.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene hits the road for a matchup at Nichols January 11.