Women’s Hoops Triumphs 72-61 Over Wentworth

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team powered past Wentworth 72-61 Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions elevate to 10-9 on the year and 4-8 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the win. The Leopards slide to 2-17 overall and 1-11 in league play with the loss.

Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) notched her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) finished with 11 points while Michelle Detwiler (Elkhart, Ind.) posted 12 boards and eight points. Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Scottsdale, Ariz.) nearly collected a double-double as she grabbed 10 rebounds and netted nine points. Alyssa Cosio Murillo (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Tia Torio (Manteca, Calif.) both chipped in with nine points on the day.

After a strong start by the visitors, the home team closed out the first quarter with a 7-0 run to carry a 15-9 lead into the second.

Wentworth reclaimed the lead with 6:30 left to play in the second period on a trey by Sam McGibbon, 19-18.

Eastern Nazarene strung together a 9-0 run in the final 3:05 of the second frame to hold a 29-21 advantage at the midpoint of the contest.

Eastern Nazarene shot 29.3% from the floor in the first two quarters and connected on 33.3% of its attempts from behind the arc. Wentworth posted a field-goal percentage of 31% in the first half while sinking 3-of-13 from long distance.

Holmes paced the Lions at halftime with seven points while Cosio, Kayla Torio, and Tia Torio all tallied five points.

The hosts widened the gap to double-digits for the first time on the day just one minute into the third quarter as Holmes canned a three-pointer, 32-21.

Eastern Nazarene extended the margin to 19 with 32 seconds remaining in the third frame on a layup by Emma Farrow (Blanchester, Ohio), 52-33.

After outscoring the Leopards 23-13 in the third, the Lions sported a 52-34 lead through three quarters of action.

Wentworth whittled the deficit to eight with 4:59 left to play in regulation as McGibbon nailed a three-pionter, 59-51.

The hosts converted 6-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to lock up their 10th victory of the season.

The Lions shot 38% from the floor on the afternoon to go with 8-for-23 shooting from beyond the arc. The Leopards finished with a field-goal percentage of 39.7% while hitting 7-of-19 from long range.

Stephanie Mini poured in a game-high 20 points for Wentworth while Courtney McCormick added 11 and Haley Sabino contributed with 10 points.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene visits conference-leading University of New England January 30.