Women’s Basketball Advances to NECC Championship Tournament Title Game with 63-51 Win Over Becker College

WESTON, Mass. – Elms College sophomore forwards Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) and JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.) scored a game-high 22 points and hauled in a game-best 12 rebounds respectively to help pace the second-seeded Blazers to a 63-51 victory over No. 6 Becker College in Friday evening's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship tournament semifinal women's basketball game at Higgins Court in Weston, Mass.  

With the win, Elms (17-10) advances to its second straight NECC Championship tournament title game and will take on tournament top seed Regis College which posted a 52-42 victory over No. 3 Daniel Webster College to earn its first appearance in the title game. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 23 at Higgins Court.

Elms shot a superb 52.1-percent from the field led by a 9 for 18 effort from Parks, while Pickett and sophomore guard Gianna Youngblood (East Freetown, Mass.) chipped in 11 and 10 points apiece in the win.

Elms was also 10 of 12 from the free throw line (83.3-percent) and out-rebounded Becker, 38-25.

Freshman guard Jenna Oyler (Metuchen, N.J.) contributed eight points and three steals off the bench and senior guard Jen Normandie (Westford, Mass.) scored six points and dished out a team-high four assists to help seal the win.

The Hawks had four starters score in double figures led by Chelsea Joubert's (Westborough, Mass.) 14 points. Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, Mass.) followed with 12 points, Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) added 11 points and Brooke Martel (Griswold, Conn.) delivered 10 in the loss.

Tarisha Renaud (Worcester, Mass.) led Becker with six rebounds, while Ooms finished with seven of the team's 18 steals.

After posting a 36-21 lead at intermission, Elms extended its lead to 19 points after a pair of Parks free throws with 16:42 to play in the game.

Both offenses stalled over the next three-plus minutes before Blazers' junior forward Nicolette Martin (Colchester, Conn.) knocked down a jumper on the wing to give the Blazers their largest lead of the game at 48-27. Becker responded with a 9-2 run highlighted by five straight points from Ooms to set the score at 50-35.

Becker was able to cut its deficit to 10 with 46 seconds remaining, but that would be as close as they would get as Parks added a pair of free throws to seal the 63-51 victory.