Women's Basketball Triumphs Over Wheelock

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Elms College women's basketball team returned to the win column behind a  season-high 27 points from senior forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) to defeat visiting Wheelock College, 72-60, in a New England Collegiate Conference tilt at Picknelly Arena Saturday afternoon.

The Blazers raced to an early 7-2 lead in the opening two minutes, but the Wildcats clawed back to make it a 9-6 game with 12:41 to play in the first half. Elms built their first lead of the contest with a 15-3 run over the next four minutes, featuring four-point efforts from senior forward JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.), sophomore forward Alexandra Marques (Newington, Conn.), and freshman guard Mackenzie Larochelle (Chicopee, Mass.). The squads exchanged buckets late in the first half, and a pair of free throws from Marques made it a 33-19 game with 4:50 on the clock. Wheelock chipped away at their deficit in the final minutes, closing the half on a 12-4 run, powered by five points from sophomore forward Kayla Corshia (Medway, Mass.), to put the contest at 37-31 heading into halftime.

The Wildcats opened the second frame on a 7-0 run, capped off by a jumper from Corshia, to take their first lead of the game, 38-37. The Blazers regained the lead on back-to-back buckets from Parks, which ingnited a 13-0 run by Elms, to capture a 53-40 advantage with 13:25 to play. Wheelock worked to cut their deficit to single digits over the next seven minutes, and found themselves trailing by six points, 59-53, after a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Katie Alsip (Quincy, Mass.) at the 6:13 mark. Elms put the game away with a 8-0 run over the next four minutes, en route to the 72-60 victory.

Parks netted a game-high 27 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the floor, with eight rebounds and two steals. Pickett registered her third straight double-double with 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while junior guard Mariah Brown (Windsor Locks, Conn.) tallied nine points, eight rebounds and a game-high six assists.

Wheelock had three players reach double-digits in points, led by Alsip with 13 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Michelle Woods (Wilmington, Mass.) added 12 points and five rebounds, while Corshia had 11 points and three rebounds.

Elms controlled the rebounding battle, 44-30, during the contest. The Blazers converted 49.1% (27-of-55) of their field goals, including 20% (2-of-10) from three-point, and 76.2% (16-of-21) from the foul line. Wheelock shot 35.6% (21-of-59) from the floor, 25% (4-of-16) from three-point range, and 63.6% (14-of-22) from the free throw line.

The Blazers improve to 6-5 with the win, and 4-0 in NECC play, while the Wildcats drop to 4-7, and 2-2 on the season. Elms returns to the court when they host Becker College in an NECC matchup on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Wheelock hosts Lesley University in an NECC game Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

GAME NOTES: With two steals, Denisha Parks became Elms' all-time leader in steals with 175 career steals...Parks sits three free throws made from become Elms' all-time leader in free throws made.

ELMS BASKETBALL