Women's Basketball Fends Off Daniel Webster

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

NASHUA, N.H. - The Elms College women's basketball team pushed their latest win streak to four games with an 84-78 victory over host Daniel Webster College in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) contest at Mario Vagge Gymnasium Tuesday evening.

The Eagles controlled the scoreboard in the opening minutes with a layup from freshman guard Natasha Santana (Lawrence, Mass.) giving Daniel Webster a 12-6 lead with 16:22 to play in the first half. The Blazers chipped away at the deficit, and took their first lead of the game, 14-13, on a three-point play from senior forward JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.) at the 14:31 mark. Nine straight points from Eagles sophomore guard Kayla Free (Quincy, Mass.) handed DWC a 22-19 advantage. With under four minutes remaining, Pickett pick-pocketed an Eagle and knocked down a jumper to stake Elms to a 35-32 lead. The Blazers held the Eagles at bay during the final minutes of the half, taking a 41-39 lead into halftime.

The Blazers extended their lead as the second half unfolded, using a 14-6 run, fueled by six points from senior forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.), to push their advantage to 55-45. Elms took their largest lead of the game, 71-56, as freshman guard Mackenzie Larochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) buried a jumper at the 9:50 mark. The Eagles trimmed their deficit to single digits with 14-7 run over the next six minutes, powered by four-point efforts from Free and junior guard Ashley England (Old Town, Maine), to make it a 78-70 game with 3:39 to play. The Blazers used back-to-back buckets from Parks and Pickett to regain a double-digit advantage en route to the 84-78 win.

Parks and Pickett powered the Blazers offense with double-double efforts, combining for 70 of 78 team points. Parks poured in a season-high 35 points, shooting 15-of-27 from the field, with 10 rebounds and four steals. Pickett netted a season-high 25 points, connecting on 11-of-16 field goals, with a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Mariah Brown (Windsor Locks, Conn.) tallied nine points, a team-high five assists, and four rebounds.

England paced the Eagles with a team-high 24 points with a game-high six assists and four rebounds. Free went for 20 points and a team-high eight rebounds with five assists. 

The Blazers edged the Eagles in rebounding, 30-25, during the contest. Elms shot a season-high 52.9% (37-of-70) from the floor, and 66.7% (10-of-15) from the foul line. Daniel Webster connected on 46.3% (31-of-67) of their attempts from the field, including 41.2% (7-of-17) from three-point range, and 75% (9-of-12) from the free throw stripe.

The Blazers improved to 12-6 overall, and 10-1 in the NECC, while the Eagles dropped to 3-14, and 3-7 on the season. Elms will return to the court with a road trip to Becker College Thursday night for a 6:00 p.m. tip. Daniel Webster travels to Mitchell Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tilt.

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