Women’s Hoops Falls at Top-Seeded Mitchell in NECC Title Game, 82-59

NEW LONDON, Conn.- The No. 2 seed Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team suffered an 82-59 setback at top-seeded Mitchell Saturday afternoon in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament championship contest. With the win, the Mariners claimed their second-straight league crown.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 59, Mitchell 82
Records: Lions (11-15) | Mariners (18-9)

                                   
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Mitchell snared a 9-3 lead with 6:58 remaining in the first quarter on a layup by Yasmine Santos.
• Eastern Nazarene outscored the Mariners 6-3 in the final four minutes of the opening period to hold a 15-14 edge.
• The hosts started the second quarter with a 13-2 run to capture a 27-17 advantage with 6:46 to go in the first half.
• The Lions responded with 11 unanswered points to seize a 28-27 lead with 3:19 left to play in the second frame.
• The two teams headed into the halftime break deadlocked at 32-32 after Michala O'Donoghue (San Bruno, Calif.) knocked down a jumper in the final seconds of the quarter to level the score.
• Mitchell turned in a strong performance in the third quarter to gain separation. The Mariners racked up 30 points in the period while limiting the visitors to just 10 points to sport a 62-42 lead going into the fourth.
• The home side outscored the Lions 20-17 in the fourth quarter to clinch its second consecutive NECC title.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Alondra Jimenez (Santa Barbara, Calif.) scored a team-high 19 points and registered four steals.
• Ashley Quigley (Fields Landing, Calif.) tallied 18 points, four boards, and three assists.
• Te'yalla Simpson (Fairfield, Texas) chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds off the bench.
• Ahidali DeHuelbes (Tucson, Ariz.) finished with five points, five steals, four rebounds, and four assists.
• Eastern Nazarene shot 40% from the floor and connected on just 3-of-18 from behind the arc on the day.
• Mitchell concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 41.8% while draining 9-of-27 three-point attempts.
• The home team had five players finish in double-digit scoring, led by Sam McKenna with a game-best 20 points. Dede Stevenson and Na'Jae White both poured in 19 points while Yasmine Santos and Amina Wiley each recorded double-doubles.
  

NECC ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES:

Senior Alondra Jimenez (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and junior Ashley Quigley (Fields Landing, Calif.) were named to the NECC All-Tournament Team. Jimenez picked up her second-straight NECC All-Tournament nod while Quigley collected her first career selection. In the two playoff games, Jimenez averaged 20.0 points and 5.0 assists per game while Quigley added 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.