Women’s Basketball Surges Past Curry, 65-35, to Close Out Regular Season

MILTON, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team outscored Curry 45-10 in the second half, including 27-2 in the fourth quarter, en route to notching a 65-35 road win Saturday afternoon to close out the regular season.

The Lions improve to 17-8 overall and finish the regular season with a 10-8 conference record to claim the No. 5 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament. The Colonels move to 10-15 on the year and 8-10 in league action.

Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight boards. Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) also netted 14 points while hauling in six rebounds off the bench. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) finished with seven points and seven boards. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) registered seven points and five rebounds.

After the two teams traded baskets to open the game, Eastern Nazarene utilized a seven-point rally to capture a 14-7 lead with 31 seconds left to play in the first quarter as Fraser drained a three-pointer.

The Lions held a 14-9 advantage heading into the second period.

The visitors regained a seven-point edge with 7:09 remaining in the second frame on a bucket by Michelle Detwiler (Elkhart, Ind.), 20-13.

The home side rattled off a 12-0 run spanning the final seven minutes of the first half to seize a 25-20 lead before the break.

Eastern Nazarene was limited to 22.9% shooting from the floor and 1-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc in the first half. Curry posted a field-goal percentage of 30.8% through the opening two quarters of play while connecting on 1-of-5 from the perimeter.

The Lions cut the deficit to 28-27 with 6:23 to go in the third as Jacquelin Arretche (Los Banos, Calif.) drilled a trey before retaking control of the lead with 3:55 left to play in the period as Cooper capitalized on a put-back opportunity, 31-30.

The guests orchestrated an 11-3 run in the final five minutes of the third to establish a 38-33 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Eastern Nazarene widened the gap to 46-33 as Holmes knocked down a free throw after splashing a straight-away three-pointer to complete a four-point play with 8:13 on the clock.

Holmes and Torio nailed shots from long range as the Lions continued their three-point barrage and started the fourth with a 19-0 run to build a 57-33 lead.

The Colonels got on the board with 3:52 remaining in the fourth period on a layup by Amanda Gresian.

Anessa Rippie (Marlton, N.J.) sank a pair of free throws to stretch the visitors' lead to 30 points with 33 seconds to go in regulation, 63-35.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 32% to go with 23.8% shooting from downtown. The Colonels shot just 26.1% from the floor and 10.0% from three-point distance on the afternoon.

Emily Irwin paced Curry with 19 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and three assists in the contest.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene heads to fourth-seeded Endicott for a Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinal clash February 21.