Women’s Basketball Falls to Mitchell, 93-84, in NECC Semifinals

QUINCY, Mass.- The No. 2 seed Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team suffered a 93-84 setback to third-seeded Mitchell in the New England Collegiate Conference semifinals Thursday evening at the Lahue Athletic Center.

The Lions finish the 2021-22 campaign with a 13-9 overall record with the result. The Mariners improve to 11-13 on the season and advance to the NECC championship.

Alondra Jimenez (Santa Barbara, Calif.) poured in a season-high 24 points, dished out five assists, and registered five steals. Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Second Mesa, Ariz.) netted 15 points off the bench while Delaney Walker (Nampa, Idaho) posted 14 points. Sophia Torres (Fort Mohave, Ariz.) racked up 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Sydni Oviatt (Fruit Heights, Utah) chipped in with 12 points and six boards.

The visitors raced out to a 15-3 advantage with 6:06 left to play in the first frame.

The home side clawed back to cut the deficit to 18-17 with 2:31 on a bucket by Jimenez.

Mitchell clung to a 25-23 edge through 10 minutes of action.

The Mariners widened the gap to 39-27 on a trey by Dede Stevenson midway through the second quarter and held a 54-42 advantage at the halftime intermission.

Eastern Nazarene posted a field-goal percentage of 47.1% and splashed 7-of-12 from long distance in the first half. Mitchell shot 63.6% from the deck and 62.5% from behind the arc in the opening two periods.

The guests stretched the margin to 18 with 7:42 on the clock in the third as Amina Wiley completed a three-point play, 60-42.

The hosts sported an 18-17 edge in third-quarter scoring to trim the deficit to 71-60 heading to the final frame.

With 6:21 remaining in regulation, the Lions pulled to within six as Jimenez banked in a layup, 75-69.

Back-to-back layups pushed the Mariners advantage to double-digits, 79-69, with 4:20 to go.

Eastern Nazarene narrowed the gap to 80-75 on a pair of free throws by Torres with 2:11 left to play.

Mitchell converted 9-of-11 from the charity stripe in the final minute to punch its ticket to the NECC title game for the first time in program history. The third-seeded Mariners will face top-seeded New England College in the NECC championship Saturday.

Wiley poured in a game-high 34 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Mitchell. Le'Sandra Turner notched 20 points and eight boards while adding six assists. Sam McKenna and Yasmine Santos both contributed 16 points on the night.

Eastern Nazarene shot 54.1% from the floor and connected on 10-of-19 from three-point territory on the night. Mitchell finished with a field-goal percentage of 56.9% and shot 41.7% from beyond the arc.