WBB Uses Strong Second Half to Down Wheelock
NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College women's basketball team
used a strong second half to notch its third straight victory,
66-50, over Wheelock College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall
Athletic Center.
Mitchell outscored Wheelock 34-22 in the second half. Sophomore Destiney
Harris led all scorers with 15 points and added 10 rebounds for
her fourth double-double of the season. Senior Jennifer Iglesias
and freshman Kaylee Cerruto also
finished in double figures for the Mariners (6-8 overall, 6-2 NECC)
with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Sarah Brown and Joy Holliday each scored 11 points to lead Wheelock
(3-13 overall, 2-5 NECC). Brown also led the team with eight
rebounds and four assists while Holliday added three boards and
three steals.
Both teams got off to slow starts, and after the first six minutes
the score was knotted at 8-8. The Mariners went ahead on a jumper
by Alix O'Neil
and would never trail again in the contest, though the Wildcats
kept it close throughout.
Mitchell scored 11 straight points over a 3:30 stretch to open up
its biggest lead of the half at 28-16 with 5:12 to play. Five
different players scored during the run as the Mariners looked
primed to take a double-digit lead into the locker room at the
intermission. The Wildcats, however, answered by scoring 12 of the
next 14 points to trim the deficit to two with under a minute to
play. Sharrell Brown provided a spark off the bench for Wheelock,
scoring all four of her points during the run.
A pair of free throws by O'Neil closed the first half scoring as
Mitchell held a 32-28 edge at the break. The Mariners shot 40
percent in the stanza but turned the ball over 13 times. Wheelock
shot 38 percent from the floor but went only 8-of-15 from the
charity stripe.
Mitchell's defense didn't allow a point for the first five minutes
of the second half. The Mariners built a nine-point lead before
Keneisha Milton finally put points on the board for the Wildcats
with a pair of free throws. Following a Mitchell turnover, Holliday
then drained a three to pull Wheelock to within four at 37-33 with
14:29 to go.
Leading by four, Mitchell reeled off a 12-2 run to push the lead to
double figures at 51-37 with 8:22 remaining. Cerruto made a pair of
three-pointers and totaled eight points during the stretch.
Wheelock would only get as close as nine the rest of the way as
Mitchell kept up the defensive pressure.
The Mariners shot 37 percent for the game and held a 51-30 edge on
the glass, including a 26-11 advantage in offensive rebounds. The
Wildcats shot 35 percent from the field and committed 24
turnovers.
Iglesias netted 11 of her 13 points in the second half and tacked
on four rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Bianca Young finished
one point shy of a double-double with nine points and a game-high
11 rebounds.
Mitchell will next play at Lesley University on Tuesday, February 2
at 7 p.m.