Cooper Propels Women’s Basketball to 73-66 Victory Over Western New England

QUINCY, Mass.- Fueled by a career-best 28 points by junior Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas), the Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team picked up a 73-66 win over Western New England at the Lahue Physical Education Center Wednesday evening.

The Lions improve to 8-7 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and 15-6 overall, the highest single-season win total since the 1999-2000 campaign. The Golden Bears move to 15-7 on the year and 11-4 in league play.

Cooper added nine rebounds and a pair of steals to go with her 28 points. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) poured in 13 points, grabbed five boards, and dished out three assists. Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) registered 11 points while BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Michelle Detwiler (Elkhart, Ind.) paced the squad with 11 boards on the night.

A three-pointer by Fraser out of the gates coupled with a layup by Amanda Cuervo (Whittier, Calif.) gave the home side an early 5-1 lead.

Eastern Nazarene widened the gap to 11 with 2:01 left to play in the first period on a layup by Torio, 20-9.

Western New England chalked up two buckets in the final moments of the opening quarter to cut the Lions advantage to 20-13 heading into the second frame.

After the Golden Bears cut the deficit to four, the Lions reclaimed an 11-point edge with 7:57 to go in the second quarter on a layup by Amber Amortegui (Davie, Fla.), 28-17.

The visitors pulled to within two, 28-26, with 1:02 remaining in the second as Paige Young converted two free throws.

Cooper rattled off a pair of free throws and beat the halftime buzzer with a put-back layup to give the hosts a 32-26 lead.

Eastern Nazarene shot 40.6% from the floor in the first half while Western New England was limited to 24.2% shooting from the field.

With 6:12 left to play in the third quarter, the Golden Bears pulled even at 36-36 on a pair of free throws by Sammie Olson.

The Lions regained control of the lead on their next possession as Cooper sank a jumper, 38-36.

The home team pushed its advantage to seven with 1:26 left to play in the third on a three-pointer by Torio, 50-43.

The guests capped off the third frame with a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 50-49.

Western New England knotted the score at 52-52 with 7:04 to go in regulation as Emily Anderson converted a free throw to complete a three-point play.

Eastern Nazarene utilized a 12-2 run to claim a double-digit lead with 3:34 remaining, 66-56.

The Lions kept the Golden Bears at bay throughout the final minutes of the contest to lock up their 15th win of the season.

The hosts finished with a field-goal percentage of 42.2% while connecting on 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. The visitors shot 29.9% from the floor and 29.4% from the perimeter in the contest.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene ventures north to take on the University of New England February 11.