Late Free Throws Carry Women’s Hoops to 67-64 Win over Western New England

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene women's basketball team converted three free throws down the stretch to fend off Western New England 67-64 Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 7-16 on the season and 3-13 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the victory. The Golden Bears drop to 9-14 overall and 6-10 in league contests with the loss.

Jasmine Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) poured in a team-best 12 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ruby Leon (Fairfield, Calif.) and Kristina Kaczmarek (Chatsworth, Calif.) each netted 11 points on the afternoon. Jamie Emerson (Attleboro, Mass.) finished with seven points while Jordan Grays (Elk Grove, Calif.) recorded a team-high six boards to go with six points.

Western New England built a six-point advantage after five minutes of play, leading 14-8. The Golden Bears stretched the margin to 12 with 8:31 left to play in the half as Ali Pessolano nailed a trey, 22-10.

Eastern Nazarene clawed back to trim the deficit to two points, 24-22, with 2:45 on the clock. Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) knocked down a mid-range jumper to cap off a 10-0 spurt by the home side.

After Western New England chalked up four consecutive points, the Lions tallied the final basket of the first stanza with 34 seconds remaining as Emerson sank her second field-goal of the game.

The Golden Bears clung to a 28-24 lead at the halftime intermission.

Eastern Nazarene connected on 35.7% of its field-goal attempts in the opening half. Western New England shot 42.9% from the floor in the first frame while draining a pair of three-pointers on 10 efforts.

Kaczmarek paced the hosts with six first-half points. Johnson and Emerson each tallied four points in the opening period while Katy Teare (Frazier Park, Calif.) gathered four rebounds.

The Golden Bears claimed a five-point lead 3:11 into the second half as Samantha McCann drilled one of her two three-pointers on day, 37-32.

Eastern Nazarene battled back to level the score at 46-46 on a baseline-jumper by Kaczmarek with 8:50 left to play.

The Lions seized their first lead of the game with 8:24 remaining as Kaczmarek sank the first of two free throw attempts, 47-46.

After the hosts knotted the game at 50-50, Western New England used an 8-2 run to capture a 58-52 advantage with 4:20 to go in regulation.

Eastern Nazarene responded with six unanswered points to tie the score at 58-58 with less than three minutes left to play.

The Lions established a four-point gap with under a minute remaining as Grays netted a free throw, 63-59.

The Golden Bears evened the contest at 64-64 with 14 seconds left to play as Nicole Daly hit a three-pointer from the left wing.

On the home team's ensuing possession, Johnson drew a foul and deposited both shots from the charity stripe to give Eastern Nazarene a 66-64 edge with 10 seconds to go.

The Lions caused a turnover by the visitors on the following inbound pass and Johnson once again headed to the free throw line with a chance to extend the margin. The rookie rattled in the second attempt after missing her first try to push the lead to 67-64.

Samantha Battaini's last second heave from beyond the arc came up just short as the Lions held on for their second straight win at home.

The Lions finished the game with a field-goal percentage of 46.3% after shooting 57.7% in the second half. The Golden Bears shot 42.6% from the field on the day and 26.1% from beyond the arc.

The visitors were led by McCann with 18 points while Chelsea Vujs registered 15 points.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene welcomes Nichols to the Lahue Physical Education Center February 18 for the final home game of the season. Prior to tip-off, the Lions will recognize the program's senior class.