Women’s Hoops Remains Unbeaten in NECC Play with 77-70 Win at Mitchell

NEW LONDON, Conn.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team notched its ninth-straight victory Saturday afternoon, prevailing 77-70 at Mitchell.

The Lions improve to 11-1 on the season and 5-0 in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) with the win. The Mariners sink to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in league action with the outcome.

Stevie Orton (Gilford, N.H.) finished with a game-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Kyra Fleharty (Lewistown, Mont.) poured in 20 points and added four boards. Shante Slender (Kayenta, Ariz.) tallied nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists on the day. Jenn Burnham (West Valley City, Utah) netted eight points while Moira Phillips (Middlesex, N.J.) chipped in with seven points.

The visitors chalked up eight consecutive points early in the contest to grab an 8-4 edge.

Eastern Nazarene outscored the home side 16-6 in the final 4:30 of the first quarter to sport a 29-20 advantage.

Mitchell cut the deficit to 35-34 with 3:22 to go in the second period on a put-back layup by Amina Wiley.

The Lions clung to a narrow 41-39 lead at the conclusion of the first half.

The Mariners pulled even at 46-46 with 8:04 remaining in the third on a three-pointer by Sam McKenna.

The guests strung together a 7-0 run to seize a 53-46 advantage with 6:05 to go in the third quarter.

Eastern Nazarene held a 61-56 edge heading into the final frame.

The hosts cut the deficit to one, 61-60, with 8:51 on the clock as Le'Sandra Turner tossed in a layup.

The Lions erupted for a 10-1 spurt to extend their lead to double-digits, 71-61, as Orton capped off the run with a layup with 5:04 left to play.

Eastern Nazarene narrowly edged Mitchell 16-14 in fourth-quarter scoring to secure its ninth win in a row.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 50% to go with an 8-for-21 effort from three-point range. The Mariners shot 41.1% from the floor and just 18.2% from beyond the arc on the day.

Turner paced Mitchell with 18 points while Wiley registered 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene returns home to host Bay Path January 21.