WBB Runs Away from Lasell

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team returned to the court for the first time since Thanksgiving break on Tuesday night, dominating Lasell University wire to wire on route to an 81-42 non-conference victory at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Senior Dede Stevenson (Hartford, Conn.) led a well-balanced Mitchell attack, filling the stat sheet with 19 points on 8-11 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Stevenson's 19 points were a game high, and she was joined in double-figures by freshman Tania Williams (Harlem, N.Y.), who came off the bench to score 11 points, the most of her collegiate career. 11 different players scored for the Mariners, with 36 of Mitchell's 81 points coming off the bench.

The Mariners were a little slow out of the gate after a week off, holding only a four-point advantage over Lasell after the first quarter. The Mariners picked up the pace from there, outscoring the Lasers 26-7 in the second frame and 25-7 in the third quarter to build a lead that grew to as large as 45 points down the stretch.

Juju Nealy paced the visiting squad with a team-best 11 points, while Jasmine DePina chipped in eight points, and Mari Figueroa came off the bench to score seven.

The Mariners shot 55% from the floor as a team and 66.7% from the free throw line, taking advantage of a poor shooting effort from the Lasers, who finished just 18-64 from the floor and 6-13 from the stripe. Mitchell also posted an advantage in rebounds (35-31) assists (15-6), points off turnover (31-20), and second chance points (14-5).

The Mariners (3-2) have now outscored their opponents 214-105 in their three wins this season. They will look to keep things rolling when they host St. Joseph University on Thursday, December 1, at 6:00 pm. Lasell (1-5), meanwhile, will begin conference play on Saturday, December 3, when they play host to Johnson & Wales at 2:00 pm.