BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The top-seeded University of New England
women's basketball team led from start-to-finish on its way to a
75-62 victory over No. 3 Regis College to claim the 2010 The
Commonwealh Coast Conference Championship.
The Nor'easters (23-5), winners of their second TCCC title since
joining the league in 1999, await word on who and where they will
be playing for the first round of the NCAA Division III National
Championship. The bracket for the field of 64 will be unveiled
Monday, March 1 at 12:30 ET on www.NCAA.com
UNE sophomore guard Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) led all scorers
with 19 points, including three 3-point field goals. Sophomore
forward Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) recorded her fifth
double-double with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds. Junior
forward Chelsey Meszaros (North Clarendon, Vt.) contributed 10
points on a tidy 4-for-5 performance from the floor. She made a
pair of shots from downtown in the second half.
Regis got 16 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks from
junior forward Sarah McNult (Hampstead, N.H.). Sophomore Meagan
Tobin (Quincy, Mass.) scored 12 points and junior guard Brittany
White (Dorchester, Mass.) added 10.
The Nor'easters stormed out to a 18-6 lead 7:47 into the contest.
Paradis connected on a pair of shots from beyond the arc to help
get the Nor'easters started.
After a bucket by Tobin, UNE first-year guard Liz LeBlanc (Jay,
Maine) made a pair of treys to help the Nor'easters extend their
lead over the next few minutes. Junior guard Carrie Bunnell
(Barnet, Vt.) sank a pair of free throws to provide the hosts with
a 28-14 cushion with 7:46 on the clock.
Regis would respond by reeling off 11 consecutive points to close
within three at 28-25. All five starters scored for Regis during
the outburst, which culminated with a jumper by sophomore guard
Stephanie Crawford (Rockland, Mass.) at the 5:13 mark.
Big Blue fought right back with a surge of their own, outscoring
Regis 9-2 over the next 2:43 to forge at 37-27 lead. The
Nor'easters would go on to take a 41-29 lead into intermission.
Russell converted a layup to start the second half and push the
Nor'easters' advantage to 14. Regis would chip away over the next
eight minutes, closing to within five (53-48) on a McNult jumper at
the 11:25 mark.
A layup by Paradis and a three-ball from Meszaros got the UNE
advantage back to double digits. The Pride would get no closer than
seven the rest of the way. The Nor'easters made 10 of 12 free throw
attempts over the final two minutes to help seal the deal.
The Nor'easters shot a solid 48 percent (24 of 50) for the game,
including a 16-for-31 (51.6 percent) performance in the first half.
UNE knocked down 8 of its 19 (42.1 percent) of its shots from
beyond the arc for the afternoon.
Regis shot a respectable 40.7 percent (24 of 59) from the floor but
was just 5 of 18 (27.8 percent) from three-point land.
The Pride (19-9) await word on a possible ECAC bid and will learn
their fate Monday afternoon.
NOR'EASTERS PLAY TOUGH GAME TO KEEP REGIS FROM BECOMING CHAMPIONS
Posted: Feb 27, 2010