Big Third Quarter Pushes WBB Past NEC
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (4-3, 4-0) | 18 | 17 | 27 | 17 | 79 |
|
New England Col. (3-7, 2-2) | 12 | 18 | 13 | 25 | 68 |
HENNIKER, N.H. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team wrapped up a 79-68 victory at New England College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference action at Bridges Gym.
Kelsey Hernandez scored a season-high 18 points and added six rebounds and five assists as the Mariners picked up their third straight win and improved to 4-0 in league play. Le'Sandra Turner pitched in with 16 points and a game-high nine assists while Marissa Sweeney came off the bench to contribute season highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Rene Hudson led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to pace NEC, which slipped to 2-2 in NECC play. Ashley Lopez chipped in 11 points and was the only other Pilgrims player in double figures.
A three-pointer by Hernandez—the first of four on the day—gave Mitchell the lead at 7-4 just four minutes into the contest. The Mariners never trailed again, opening up the margin to as many as 11 in the first half. However, the Pilgrims held Mitchell without a field goal in the final 4:50 of the half and closed the gap to five at 35-30 by intermission.
The Mariners came out and scored eight of the first 10 points in the second half to go back up by double digits. Mitchell outscored NEC 27-13 in the period as Sweeney netted seven points to lead the charge. A layup by Hernandez capped the third-quarter scoring and left Mitchell with its largest lead of the game, 62-43, heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Pilgrims opened up the fourth quarter with seven straight points to steal some momentum, and later a three by Hudson cut the deficit back to single digits with 4:19 to go. However, Mitchell's lead proved too large to overcome, and Amina Wiley ended all doubt of a comeback with a bucket with 1:02 to go that made it 71-62.
The Mariners got 31 points from their bench in the win. In addition to the 13 from Sweeney, Dejia Santana recorded nine points and six rebounds in 18 minutes, and Ramzie Jones contributed seven points and three boards.
Mitchell (4-3 overall) will next play at the University of Saint Joseph on Monday, December 10 at 7 p.m.
