REGIS EDGES BAY PATH, 64-50

Photo courtesy of Mike Davis
Photo courtesy of Mike Davis

WESTON, Mass. – Behind junior guard Emilee Marro's (Bedford, N.H.) team-high 19 points and eight rebounds, Regis College battled past Bay Path College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's basketball action at Higgins Court. The Pride claimed their eighth straight victory to improve to 14-4 overall and a perfect 11-0 in conference play.

The Pride jumped out to an early lead and pushed their advantage to as much as 13 points on three separate occasions within the first eleven minutes of the game, including at the 9:25 mark when Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) hit a jump shot to give her squad a 25-12 edge. The Wildcats (6-12, 5-6 NECC) were able to claw their way back into the game, however, after a quick 8-0 run over the next few minutes that brought them within five points.

Junior Kayla Skiffington (East Longmeadow, Mass.) scored all eight points during the stretch, including her 1,000th career point at the 6:45 mark after finishing a layup off a pass from Katherine Chabot (Brookfield, Mass.).

Following a timeout by the Pride, the hosts got back on the scoring column as Marro capped off a 7-0 run at the 3:49 mark to make the score 32-20. Regis and Bay Path would trade baskets in the closing minutes of the half, as the Pride headed into the locker room with the score at 36-25.

Marro and senior forward Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) combined for 21 first-half points for Regis. Skiffington had 13 points in the first-half for the Wildcats, while sophomore Toni Alexander (Enfield, Conn.) chipped in with nine.

Skiffington continued to give Regis trouble in the second half, as she sank 17 of her game-high 30 points in the final 20 minutes of play.

Marro and sophomore Taylor Bunkley (Carmel, N.Y.) opened up the second with back-to-back buckets to extend the lead to 15 by the 17:38 mark. For the second time on the afternoon, Skiffington responded by scoring her team's next eight points to cut the deficit to as few as ten with 11:53 remaining.

Regis did their best to keep Bay Path from getting back into the game, as sophomore guard Alyssa Vieira-Lanpher (Princeton, Mass.) scored her team's next six points before Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.), Nikki Strizzi (Old Lyme, Conn.), and Marro scored two points apiece to give the Pride their largest lead of the half, 55-38 with a little over six minutes left in regulation.

Skiffington and Alexander, who finished with 14 points, did not go down without a fight, as the duo combined for their team's last 12 points on the day. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it was not enough to overcome Regis, who hung on for the 64-50 win.

Skiffington grabbed 11 rebounds in the game to finish with a double-double for Bay Path. Ramonas was just shy of her own double-double, as she had nine rebounds to go along with her ten points. Bradley scored 11 points for the Pride, while Vieira-Lanpher ended the day with nine points.

Both teams will play away contests at 8 p.m. this Tuesday, as Regis heads to Lesley and Bay Path travels to take on Becker.