Women's Basketball Upended by Regis

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. ­– The Elms College women's basketball team suffered a setback against visiting Regis College, 92-54, in a New England Collegiate Conference matchup at Picknelly Arena Saturday afternoon.

The first half was a more contested period than the second half proved to be. Leading 6-4 with 18:17, the Pride doubled their point total on Elms to 12-6 at the 14:38 mark. The Blazers rallied back with a 13-6 run, fueled by five points from senior guard Gianna Youngblood (Lakeville, Mass.), to take their lone lead of the game, 19-18, with 9:34 on the clock. The Pride responded with a layup from freshman forward Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.) on their ensuing possession, and bolstered their advantage to 34-24 behind a 16-5 run over the next seven minutes. The Blazers trimmed their deficit to single digits, 38-29, at the break.

The Pride used a 54-point second half to cruise to victory. Regis opened the second half on a 24-10 run, capped off by back-to-back layups from Stone to put the Pride up 62-39 lead with 10:50 remaining in the half. Senior guard Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) came off the bench to bury nine points during an 18-6 run by the Pride, extending the Regis lead to 80-45 with 4:41 to play. The Pride closed the game outscoring Elms, 12-9, to secure the 92-54 victory.

The Blazers were paced by a team-high 15 points from Youngblood, shooting 4-of-9 from the floor, with five rebounds. Senior forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) and junior guard Mariah Brown (Windsor Locks, Conn.) each netted 11 points, while Parks added a team-high 11 rebounds, and Brown had three steals and two rebounds. Sophomores Emily Burr (East Hartford, Conn.) and Alexandra Marques (Newington, Conn.) tallied six points apiece.

Stone led all scorers with a career-high 36 points, connecting on 15-of-19 from the field, with 11 rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Sophomore forward Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) recorded a double-double with 12 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, and a game-high six assists. Senior guard Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.) had 12 points, while Marro chipped in 10 points in the win.

The Pride controlled the glass, 46-35, during the contest. Elms converted 29.1% (16-of-55) from the floor, including 14.3% (1-of-7) from three-point range, and 67.7% (21-of-31) from the foul line. Regis shot 51.7% (31-of-60) from the field, 20% (2-of-10) from three-point, and 82.4% (28-of-34) from the free throw stripe. 

The Blazers drop to 15-8 overall, and 13-3 in the NECC. Regis improves to 17-5, and remains a perfect 15-0 in NECC play. Elms returns to the court with their road finale at Southern Vermont Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Regis travels to Lesley Tuesday night for an 8:00 p.m. tilt.

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