Bard College Outlasts Women’s Basketball, 65-56

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Elms College sophomore forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) scored a game-high 22 points, but Bard College received an 18-point output from Tytravia Riley (Miami, Fla.) and fended off a late run by the Blazers to help secure a hard-fought 65-56 victory in Saturday's non-conference women's basketball game.

With the loss, Elms falls to 1-4 on the season, while Bard improves to 5-0 on the season.

Leading 57-50 late in the contest, Bard received a bucket and a free throw from Bianka Bell (Stamford, Conn.) with 1:16 to play that extended the Raptors' lead to 10 at 60-50.

Parks hit a pair of free throws and freshman guard Jenna Oyler (Metuchen, N.J.) converted a layup to narrow Elms' deficit to six at 60-54 with 34 seconds left. However, despite a bucket by sophomore forward JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.) with six ticks on the clock, the Raptors pulled away to a 65-56 victory.

Pickett and Oyler each finished with 10 points in the losing effort for the Blazers who shot 35.5-percent from the field, while Victoria Fleisher (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Imani Jones (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 14 and 13 points respectively to spark the Raptors' win.

In the opening period, Bard raced out to a 10-0 lead and scored 15 of the first 17 points before Elms' freshman guard Kendall McKinnon (Kensington, Conn.) converted a three-point play on a layup and a free throw and Oyler nailed a jumper to set the score at 15-7 with 12:45 to play in the first half.

A jumper by Fleisher gave Bard a 24-15 lead with 8:19 to play before the Blazers rallied with eight of the next 11 points on the strength of two-point baskets from four different players to set the score at 27-23.

Following a free throw by Bell, Parks swished a jumper at the 3:39 mark to pull Elms to within three at 28-25. Sophomore forward Gianna Youngblood (East Freetown, Mass.) then hit the front end of two free throws and Parks knocked down a pair from the free throw line to level the game at 28-28 with 44 seconds to play in the frame.

Jones answered with a jumper on the seventh assist of the half for Bell to give Bard a 30-28 lead and Kai Germano (Millbrook, N.Y.) hit one of two from the line to set the score at 31-28 at halftime.

Parks finished the period with 10 points and six rebounds, Pickett added a team-high seven boards, and senior guard Jen Normandie (Westford, Mass.) dished out four assists through the first 20 minutes.

Bard came out firing in the second half, led by a pair of treys from Fleisher as the Raptors claimed a 45-32 lead early in the stanza.

Pickett delivered a pair of layups and Parks connected on a mid-range jumper at the 12:04 mark to pull Elms to within eight at 46-38.

A three-point play by Riley extended Bard's lead to 51-40 with 11:01 to play and from there, the Raptors held at least a nine-point edge until Parks made a layup to pull the Blazers to within seven at 57-50 with 2:26 to play.

Elms opens New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Tuesday, December 4 at Becker College at 6:00 p.m. in Leicester, Mass.