Women’s Hoops Falls to Framingham State in Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament Opener

WALTHAM, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team suffered a 59-51 setback to Framingham State in the first round of the Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament Friday evening.

The Lions dip to 1-1 on the year with the loss while the Rams improve to 2-0 overall.

Jenn Burnham (West Valley City, Utah) poured in a game-high 20 points. Stevie Orton (Gilford, N.H.) tallied 12 points and four boards off the bench. Shannon Chau (San Francisco, Calif.) finished with 10 points while Bailey Craig (Placerville, Calif.) hauled in a team-best eight rebounds.

After a tightly-contested opening quarter, the two teams were deadlocked at 16-16.

Framingham State outscored Eastern Nazarene 18-5 in the second period to hold a 34-21 halftime advantage.

The Lions trimmed the deficit to 36-30 with 5:24 remaining in the third on a layup by Orton.

The Rams regained a double-digit lead late in the third quarter, 42-32, as Abbey Battaini sank the first of two free throw attempts.

Eastern Nazarene pulled to within six with 43 seconds left to play in regulation as Orton banked in a layup, 55-49.

Framingham State converted 4-of-8 shots from the charity stripe to lock up its second-straight victory.

The Lions concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 36.8% while connecting on 7-of-25 from three-point range. The Rams shot 34.8% from the floor on the night and just 1-for-16 from behind the arc.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will battle Nichols in the Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament consolation game November 16.