Third Quarter Push Fuels WBB at Newbury

BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games with a 58-41 victory at Newbury College on Tuesday night in New England Collegiate Conference action.

Diamond Thomas came off the bench to lead the Mariners with 17 points and also added seven rebounds and six assists. Katelyn Roeser paced the Nighthawks on Senior Night with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Newbury jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game, capitalizing on five early turnovers by Mitchell. Savannah Olsen picked the pockets of Mariners twice in the first four minutes while Isabelle Pafford also came up with a swipe.

However, the Mitchell offense didn't stay quiet for very long, answering with an extended run of its own. After Toshina Jessamy drained a trey to give the Mariners their first lead of the game at 7-6 with 3:00 remaining in the first quarter, Amanda Garcia knocked down one of two from the charity stripe to give the Mariners an 8-6 lead.

With the score tied at 10-10 after one, the Mariners jumped out in front by two possessions (14-10) at the start of the second quarter. Midway through the stanza, Jovanna Sandifer connected with Katelyn Roeser at the perimeter to end Newbury's scoring drought and sparked a 10-0 run. The Nighthawks did not look back as they took a 20-19 lead into the locker rooms at the break.

The Mariners came out of halftime red-hot, shooting 47 percent from field in the third quarter as they jumped out to a 27-20 lead to start the period. Samantha Ryan netted seven points off the bench while Ashleigh Beauford chipped in with seven as they outscored the Nighthawks, 20-6, to take a 39-26 lead into the final quarter.

Newbury clawed its way back with a 10-0 run to open the fourth. Roeser connected with Pafford for a long jumper to bring the Nighthawks to cut the deficit to 42-36 midway through the period. The Mariners had an answer, though, sealing the win with a 9-0 run over the final four minutes.

Ryan finished in double digits (11 points) for the second straight game and shot 5-for-6 from the field. Garcia pulled down 10 rebounds to go with seven points while Jessamy also contributed seven points.

Newbury fell to 8-16 (7-10 NECC) while Mitchell improved to 14-8 (13-4 NECC). The Mariners will next take a break from conference play when they travel to Johnson & Wales University on Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m.