WBB Eliminated from NECC Championship

QUINCY, Mass. – Third-seeded Daniel Webster College advanced to the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship with a 72-48 victory over second-seeded Mitchell College in semifinal action on Friday night on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College.

Guard Sarah Paternostro led all scorers with 17 points and added eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals for the Eagles. Alycia Gervais registered a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and Vanessa Bosques chipped in with 11 points and seven boards for victorious Daniel Webster.

For Mitchell, senior Alix O'Neil led the way with 12 points and six rebounds while Jordan Ringwood contributed eight points. The Mariners finished the season with an overall record of 14-10.

Paternostro kicked off the scoring with a layup on the game's first possession and netted the Eagles' first five points. After two free throws from O'Neil, classmate Allison Peck registered five points including her first three-pointer of the game, which gave the Mariners a 7-5 lead.

The two teams exchanged six lead changes in the first nine minutes of play before a steal and fast-break lay-in from Gervais resulted in the 10th and final lead change of the game with Daniel Webster pulling ahead 24-22 with 5:54 left in the half. A triple by guard Kacie Lang gave the Eagles a 32-24 lead before a jumper by Ringwood rounded out the scoring as the Mariners cut the margin to 32-26 at intermission.

Paternostro led all scorers with 11 at the break, and Gervais and Tonisha Tate chipped in with seven a piece.

Out of halftime, O'Neil nailed pair of jumpers to make it a 35-30 game at the 18:20 mark. Layups by Gervais and Regan, followed by a Bosques three-pointer, put the Eagles up 40-30 at the 16:00 mark, and it only got better for the Eagles from there.

A highlight reel drive to the basket by Paternostro and a Lang basket gave Daniel Webster a 21-point lead with 8:30 remaining and they would never look back, pulling away by the final of 72-48.

Daniel Webster advances to play Lesley, 63-51 winners tonight over Becker, in Saturday's 2 p.m. championship game. The Eagles split two contests against the Lynx this season.