WBB Suffers First NECC Setback at Becker

LEICESTER, Mass. -- The Becker College women's basketball team won 63-49 over visiting Mitchell College on Thursday evening at Leicester Gymnasium.

The game was a match-up of the top two teams in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) standings. The Hawks (11-5 overall) picked up their fifth-straight victory and moved into a first-place tie with Mitchell (9-6 overall) at 8-1 in the league. 

Cassidy Harrison led Becker with 17 points, six steals and four assists. Adrianna Dowdy, who carried the Hawks in the first half, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Ciara McKissick contributed a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Amina Wiley led Mitchell with a game-high 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds. Kelsey Hernandez chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and three assists while Le'Sandra Turner added eight points, five steals and four rebounds.

Entering the second half with a 27-22 lead, Becker appeared to put the game away by ending the third quarter on a 14-3 run. Dowdy capped the spurt with a put-back that gave the Hawks a 49-32 lead going into the final stanza.

The Mariners, however, rallied back in the fourth. Trailing by 16 with 6:56 to go, Mitchell exploded for an 11-0 run that concluded with a three-point play from Ramzie Jones with 4:03 to go. But the Hawks answered back with an 11-0 run of their own, with McKissick hitting a put-back layup with 37 seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Mitchell will next travel to Dean College on Saturday, January 19 for a noon tip-off.