Sharp Shooting Powers Women’s Basketball to 94-74 Win Over Regis
QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team rolled past Regis 94-74 Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Physical Education Center to register its fourth-consecutive victory.
The Lions improve to 6-1 on the season with the win while the Pride dips to 5-6 overall.
Stevie Orton (Gilford, N.H.) paced the offense with 21 points off the bench. Kyra Fleharty (Lewistown, Mont.) tallied 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added three blocks. Shante Slender (Kayenta, Ariz.) notched 14 points while Janeth Cruz (Reseda, Calif.) and Shannon Chau (San Francisco, Calif.) both scored 11 points.
The home team strung together an early 8-0 run to grab a 13-8 lead with 5:36 left to play in the first quarter.
Eastern Nazarene pushed its advantage to double digits with 1:21 remaining in the opening frame, 25-13, as Chau and Jenn Burnham (West Valley City, Utah) each converted two free throws.
The Lions led the Pride 25-18 through 10 minutes of action after connecting on 8-of-11 field-goal attempts and splashing three treys on three shots from beyond the arc in the first period.
Regis cut the deficit to 25-21 as Marissa Prall knocked down a three-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter.
The hosts regained a double-figure advantage with 5:58 to go in the second on a layup and free throw by Chau, 36-24.
Eastern Nazarene outscored Regis 5-2 in the final 1:31 of the first half to boast a 46-37 lead at the intermission.
The Lions shot 57.7% from the floor and 54.5% from three-point territory in the opening two quarters. The Pride posted a field-goal percentage of 39.4% in the first half to go with 4-of-11 shooting from behind the arc.
Fleharty netted 16 first-half points and hauled in five rebounds while Chau chipped in with eight points and Slender poured in six points.
Eastern Nazarene extended its advantage to 12 with 7:57 left in the third as Orton banked in a layup before Fleharty canned a three-pointer, 51-39.
The Lions pushed their lead to 59-44 on a pair of free throws by Orton with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Regis narrowed the gap to seven on a layup and free throw by Erin Leahy with 48 seconds to go in the period.
The home team capped off the third frame with a layup by Orton followed by a late trey by Slender to own a 65-53 advantage heading to the fourth.
Eastern Nazarene maintained its double-digit lead throughout the final quarter and expanded its lead to 21 late in the period on two free throws by Bailey Craig (Placerville, Calif.).
The Lions finished with a season-high field-goal percentage of 62% to go with a season-best 52.4% clip from three-point range. The Pride shot 40.3% from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc on the day.
Pam Gonzalez and Prall each scored a team-high 16 points for Regis while Mackenzie Emery added 14 points.
Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will jet off to the Dominican Republic after Christmas before returning to the Bay State to open conference play January 4 at Elms.