WBB Knocked Out by #1 Regis

WESTON, Mass. - Fourth-seeded Mitchell College came up short against top-seeded Regis College on Friday night in the semifinals of the 2015 New England Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball Championship, falling 64-31 to the defending champs at Higgins Court.

Regis (21-5 overall) advances to Saturday's title game while Mitchell's season comes to an end. The Mariners finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 13-13.

Jessica Shepherd led Mitchell with 12 points while Amanda Garcia and Diamond Thomas added eight apiece. Amanda Hawkesworth paced the Pride with 12 points while Brittany Stone and Teresa Busiek each contributed 10.

Neither side shot the ball particularly well, but Regis made up for it by pounding the offensive glass and getting to the free throw line. The Pride outscored the Mariners 19-4 on second-chance points due to a 31-16 edge in offensive boards. Regis also benefitted from a 16-4 scoring advantage at the charity stripe. 

Hawkesworth scored on the game's opening possession and Regis never yielded the lead. A 14-4 run put the Pride up 20-8 with 9:21 to play in the half. Shepherd did her best to keep the Mariners close, scoring all 12 of her points in stanza. However, Mitchell still trailed 31-17 at the break after shooting just 25 percent from the floor as a team.

Mitchell couldn't mount a comeback in the second half as Regis cemented its third straight trip to the title game. The Pride led by as many as 33 points in the second half and cruised to the finish.