Women’s Basketball Drops 2013-14 Season-Opener to Colby at Brandeis Tip-Off Invitational, 77-59

WALTHAM, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene women's basketball team suffered a 77-59 setback to Colby in the first contest of the 2013-14 campaign Friday evening at Red Auerbach Arena as part of the Brandeis Tip-Off Invitational Tournament.

The Lions slip to 0-1 on the year with the result while the Mules improve to 1-0 overall.

Ruby Leon (Fairfield, Calif.) paced Eastern Nazarene with 18 points off the bench in her first game in a Lion uniform. Michelle Herrera (Santa Barbara, Calif.) finished with 16 points and three rebounds while Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) recorded 13 points and a team-high seven boards. Jasmine Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) notched six assists and five rebounds in the loss for the Lions.

The Mules grabbed an 8-5 lead less than five minutes into the game as Jen Nale banked in a lay-up.

Colby stretched its advantage to 18-9 with 10:36 remaining in the first half on a trey by Nale. A lay-in by Carylanne Wolfington with 7:40 on the clock gave the Mules a 25-11 edge.

Greer drained a three-pointer in the waning seconds of the opening period to cut the deficit to 35-24. Colby responded with a buzzer-beater by Gabe Donahue to head into the halftime intermission sporting a 37-24 lead.

The Lions shot 34.5% from the field and 50% from three-point range in the first frame. The Mules sank 40.6% of their field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes of action.

Colby controlled ownership of the lead throughout the second stanza en route to posting its first win of the season.  

Eastern Nazarene concluded the game with a field-goal percentage of 38.6% while connecting on 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. Colby shot 38.5% from the floor on the evening, including 6-for-18 from long distance.

The Mules benefitted from double-digit scoring from all five starters on the night. Nale netted a team-best 21 points while Desi Smith chipped in with 16 points.

Up next, the Lions will look to capture their first victory of the season as they take on Mount Ida November 16 in the consolation game of the Brandeis Tip-Off Invitational Tournament.