WBB Falls Short in NECC Semis, Loses 63-60 to Elms
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (16-10) | 34 | 26 | 60 |
|
Elms (18-9) | 36 | 27 | 63 |
WESTON, Mass. – Behind junior forward Denisha Parks' game-high 28 points and nine rebounds, the No. 2 Elms College women's basketball team defeated No. 3 Mitchell College in the semifinals of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship on Friday night at Higgins Court on the campus of Regis College.
The Blazers jumped out to a quick start and led 14-7 by the 14:22 mark of the first half, much thanks to the hot shooting of Parks and Gianna Youngblood. The Mariners (16-10 overall) would not go down without a fight, however, and slowly began to chip away at the deficit.
Mitchell freshman Jessica Shepherd went 4-for-6 from behind the arc in the first-half, one of which she hit with 6:50 remaining to bring her team to within two points. Seconds later, following an Elms turnover, sophomore Amanda Garcia knocked down a jumper to tie things up for the first time all night at 23-23.
The two teams traded baskets to close out the last few minutes of the half, and Elms headed into the break with a narrow 36-34 edge. Parks poured in nine points in the last four minutes to give her 20 first-half points, while Shepherd led the charge for the Mariners with 12 points in the stanza.
The second half began much like the first half ended, with both teams trading points. A good jumper by senior guard Ellen Donohue gave Elms a five-point cushion with 17:13 to play before a Diamond Thomas shot and Kate Mulloy layup cut the score to one point (43-42) with 13:43 left.
The Blazers began to open things up a bit with 9:30 left on the clock. JC Pickett sank both of her free throws to spark a 9-0 run that left Elms with a 59-49 advantage with just over five minutes to go in the game.
The Mariners locked down on defense, limiting their opponents to just four points the rest of the way. With the score at 63-55 with 2:58 to play, freshman Caycee Williams went on a quick 5-0 run of her own to bring her squad to within three points with 2:10 to play.
That would be the last of the scoring on the night for both teams. Mitchell was unable to connect offensively to tie the game up, and Elms hung on for the 63-60 final.
Pickett registered a double-double for the Blazers with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Youngblood finished with nine points and six rebounds.
Shepherd led the Mariners with a team-high 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range. Williams (nine rebounds) and Thomas also pitched in by combining for 25 points on the night for Mitchell.
With the win, the Blazers improved to 18-9 on the season and advanced to their third consecutive NECC Championship finals, which will be played Saturday against No. 1 Regis at 2 p.m. Earlier in the night, the Pride handed No. 4 Becker a 74-50 defeat to advance to their second straight NECC Championship.
The winner of tomorrow's Finals will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
