Women's Hoops Holds On at Wheelock

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Mitchell College women's basketball team fought off a strong effort by Wheelock College on Saturday afternoon to come away with a 48-41 victory on Pine Manor College's Brunelli Court.

Mitchell (10-6 overall, 7-2 NECC) trailed midway through the second half but rallied to pull out the win. The Wildcats, who were aiming for their first win in six series meetings, fell to 3-13 overall and 2-7 in the league.

Senior Allison Peck and sophomore Jordan Ringwood each netted a team-high nine points for Mitchell, as Peck hit three three-pointers and picked up seven steals. Senior Alix O'Neil totaled seven points and 14 rebounds, and sophomore Kaylee Cerruto turned in five assists.

Wheelock received 31 points from its bench, as Maya Spratling collected a game-high 10 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Kayla Drescheradded 11 boards, eight points and three helpers as a reserve, while Joy Holliday had six points. Keneisha Milton added 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, as the Wildcats held consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 points for the first time since February 2003.

The Mariners scored the first five points before a 6-2 Wheelock run brought it within 7-6 on Sharrell Brown's three at 15:57 of the opening half. Mitchell followed with a 12-2 run during a 5:20 span, as Peck canned two threes and Ringwood added four points in that time. The Wildcats later trailed 23-12 before ending the half on an 8-3 run, with four points coming from Randi Davis, to create a 26-20 deficit. Mitchell had 11 steals by intermission, and 11 of its 16 rebounds were offensive, while Wheelock was shooting 41.2 percent to the visitors' 24.1-percent showing.

The Wildcats kept chipping away in the second period, as they scored 12 of the first 17 points to grab their first lead, 32-31, on a Drescher dish to Milton at 12:25. Drescher and Spratling each had four points in the half-opening run. Mitchell tallied the next nine points, with an O'Neil freebie knotting the contest at 12:07 and her jumper 31 seconds later putting her team on top to stay. Three straight Wheelock free throws, including two from Spratling, made it 40-35 at 4:41, but O'Neil scored four straight points in an ensuing 6-0 run. Spratling's jumper with 11 seconds remaining brought her team within seven and produced the final margin.

Mitchell returns to action at home against Newbury College on Thursday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be the second half of a doubleheader in Mitchell's "Black Out" event, which will feature free t-shirts, a half-court shot contest and giveaways. The men's team will host Elms College at 5:30 p.m., and between games will be a banner ceremony to honor Mitchell's championship baseball, men's tennis and women's soccer teams.