Women's Basketball Advances Past Southern Vermont to NECC Semifinals

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The fourth-seeded Elms College defeated visiting fifth-seed Southern Vermont College, 68-61, in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Quarterfinals at Picknelly Arena Tuesday night. The Blazers improve to 15-11 on the season, while Southern Vermont wraps with an 11-15 overall mark.

The Mountaineers kicked off play by grabbing a 6-0 lead in the opening three minutes with four points coming from the foul line. The Blazers battled back over the next five minutes behind a 10-2 run, capped off by a three-pointer from freshman Kayla Aberdale (Housatonic, Mass.) at the 2:39 mark. The Mountaineers closed the quarter with a 5-1 run to give Southern Vermont a 13-11 lead.

Tied 15-15, the Mountaineers pulled ahead on a trey from junior Amber Dow (Vergennes, Vt.), but Elms responded as junior Emily Burr (East Hartford, Conn.) connected from long range to regain a 19-18 advantage with 7:49 on the clock. Southern Vermont senior Turquoia Johnson (Rockville, Md.) converted a three-point play at the 4:07 mark to put the Mountaineers up 26-23, but Elms answered with a three-pointer from sophomore Mackenzie LaRochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) to even things at 26-26. As the clock ticked under a minute, SVC sophomore Chloe Longe (Enosburg Falls, Vt.) delivered a reverse layup on the baseline to put the Mountaineers up 31-30, en route to a 33-30 halftime lead.

The squads traded the lead back-and-forth during the opening minutes of the third quarter, landing in a 40-40 tie. Knotted at 42-42, Southern Vermont senior Amber Flagg (Windsor, Conn.) knocked down eight straight points for the Mountaineers to pace the Blazers, 50-47. Flagg delivered a free throw in the final seconds of the quarter to hand SVC a 51-49 advantage heading into the final frame.

Elms came out hot in the fourth quarter with buckets from LaRochelle and junior Alexandra Marques (Newington, Conn.) to take the lead, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from LaRochelle to push the advantage to 59-51 with 6:43 to play. Trailing 61-51, the Mountaineers mounted a rally with an 8-0 run, featuring four points from senior Shaniquewa Barnes (Landover, Md.) to trim the Elms lead to 61-59 with 1:13 remaining. The Blazers closed the door on the Mountaineers from the foul line, converting seven-of-ten free throws in the final minute to secure the 68-61 victory.

LaRochelle powered the Blazers offensively with a career-high 23 points, connecting on four three-pointers, with two rebounds. Burr scored 17 points with two rebounds and two assists, while Marques pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds with five points, four steals and two blocks. Senior Mariah Brown (Windsor Locks, Conn.) dished out a game-high seven assists with eight points and four rebounds.

The Mountaineers had three scorers in double figures, led by a game-high 26 points and four rebounds from Flagg. Johnson chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds, and Barnes added 11 points and eight rebounds. Senior Kala Mackenzie (Fair Haven, Vt.) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, five points and three steals.

The Mountaineers edged the Blazers on the glass, 43-39, during the contest. Elms connected on 37.7% (23-of-61) from the floor, including 45% (9-of-20) from three-point range, and 56.5% (13-of-23) from the foul line. Southern Vermont shot 36% (18-of-50) from the field, 28.6% (2-of-7) from three-point, and 63.9% (23-of-36) from the free throw stripe.

With the win, Elms advances to the NECC Tournament semifinals where they will meet tournament host Regis College in the semis Friday night at Higgins Court at 6:00 p.m. Southern Vermont has concluded play for the season.

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