PRIDE DEFENSE FUELS FIRST NECC WIN

NEW LONDON, Conn. – A solid defensive effort by Regis College was the catalyst in a 78-36 victory at Mitchell College on Tuesday night in a New England Collegiate Conference women's basketball matchup at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Pride (3-1, 1-0 NECC) forced 35 turnovers and finished with 22 steals and seven blocks. Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) paced the offense with a game- and season-high 24 points, while Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Amanda Garcia (New Britain, Conn.)led Mitchell (0-4, 0-1 NECC) with 12 points.

Regis never trailed after scoring the first eight points of the contest, with Marro providing back-to-back three-point field goals on her team's opening two possessions. Mitchell missed its first six attempts from the field but finally got a shot to go down when Savannah Boyle (Attleboro, Mass.) dropped in a three to make it 10-4 with 14:49 to go.

The Pride pumped the margin to double digits and later used an 8-0 run to take a 28-14 lead with 5:33 to go. Regis closed the stanza with a pair of free throws by Mikayla Murphy (Attleboro, Mass.) to take a 35-22 lead into the locker room at intermission. Marro finished the half with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead all scorers.

Mitchell was careless with the ball to start the second half, and Regis took advantage to the tune of an 11-2 run over the opening 4:45 of the period. The Mariners attempted only two shots on their first 11 possessions of the half and turned the ball over nine times.

The Pride remained aggressive on defense throughout the half and held Mitchell to only 14 points in the final 20 minutes. On offense, Regis consistently moved the ball around to produce open looks, and all 11 players who saw action found the scoring column.

Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.) led Regis' defensive effort with game-highs of six steals and three blocks. Marro and Hawkesworth also added three swipes apiece as the Pride finished with a 34-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Dazjavia Williams (Waterbury, Conn.) was a bright spot for Mitchell, dropping in nine points to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Samantha Ryan (Quaker Hill, Conn.) chipped in with a team-high eight rebounds while Boyle added seven in a season-high 21 minutes of action.

Regis returns to action at home against Wheelock College on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

Release courtesy of Mitchell College Sports Information