BENNINGTON, Vt. — After taking a sizable lead in the first half, the Regis College women's basketball team held off Southern Vermont College for an 84-68 win Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
The Pride remain undefeated in league play, moving to 9-0 and 11-4 overall on the season with the win. SVC falls to 9-7 in the conference and 7-2 on the year.
Four members of the Pride reached double digits in scoring with sophomore Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) registering game-highs of 28 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double, posting a new career high in points. Freshman Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.) followed with 22 points and six rebounds, and senior Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) added 12 points and six boards. Senior captain Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) scored 10 points while dishing out a game-best seven assists in the win.
Mountaineer junior captain Amber Flagg (Windsor, Conn.) led her team with 21 points to go with three assists, while classmate Kala MacKenzie (Fair Haven, Vt.) dropped a season-best 15 points, adding seven rebounds and three blocks to her line. Fellow junior Sarah McDonald (Cohoes, N.Y.) added 10 points and eight rebounds, and junior Turquoia Johnson (Montgomery Village, Md.) chipped in with nine points and eight boards.
Southern Vermont shot at a 34.8 percent clip from the floor on the day (24-69) while the Pride went 33-75 from the field (44 percent). Regis had a 47-43 edge on the boards, using offensive caroms for a 25-9 advantage in second-chance points. RC also outscored the Mountaineers 24-6 in points off turnovers and 50-26 on points in the paint.
Regis went on the board first and never gave up the lead all day. A McDonald jumper from just over the three-point line made it a 6-3 Pride advantage, but Stone answered on the other end with a bucket of her own, sparking an 11-0 run that gave the visitors a comfortable cushion. Southern Vermont was hard-pressed to stop Stone and Hawkesworth, as the two helped Regis open up the lead to 25 points (51-26) in the final minute of the first half; the two Pride notched 16 and 15 points, respectively, in the opening period to give way for a 51-31 RC advantage going in to the break.
SVC was unable to overcome the deficit through the closing 20 minutes, despite outscoring the Pride 37-33 in the half. MacKenzie swatted a Regis shot and then ran the floor for a layup at the 13:07 mark that made it a 63-46 game, and she followed with an old-fashioned three-point play to get the hosts a little closer. The RC offense continued to be effective, however, keeping its distance and preventing Southern Vermont from cutting the deficit to single digits. A pair of Flagg free throws late in the game made it a 12-point contest (79-67), but the Pride converted on their trips down the floor in the final minutes for the 84-68 final.
The day also served to celebrate the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Weekend with coaches on both sides joining others around the country to help raise awareness and funding for the ACS.
Regis next visits Wheelock College on Tuesday evening for a 6:00 p.m. NECC matchup.
Release courtesy of Southern Vermont College Sports Information