Women's Basketball Tops JWU In Season Opener

Brittany Stone (Photo Courtesy of Mike Davis)
Brittany Stone (Photo Courtesy of Mike Davis)

BIDDEFORD, Maine. - Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.) delivered 22 points and 13 rebounds and scored the game's final six points to lift the Regis (Mass.) women's basketball team to a season opening 58-55 win over Johnson & Wales (RI) Friday night in the semifinals of the Ramada Roundball Invitational at Harold Alfond Forum.

The Pride (1-0) now play host University of New England for the tourney title on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) had 19 points and six boards and Mikayla Murphy (Attleboro, Mass.) added five rebounds and dished out a game-high four assists.

Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) had a team-high 19 points for JWU who faces the University of Maine at Farmington tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for third place. Bobbie Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with a double double (19 points, 11 rebounds).

Regis got off to a fast start, racing out to an early 8-2 lead after a Brandi Bonneau (Derry, N.H.) three pointer. A jumper from Shannon Hayes (Billerica, Mass.) extended the lead to 14-4 but JWU would crawl back into the game. Six quick points cut the deficit to four points as the Pride could not find the bucket for the final 4:15 of the quarter.

The second period started with an Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) layup which shaved the Pride lead to 15-12. The teams traded baskets for much of the quarter until Pederzani brought the Wildcats all the way back, draining a three ball to tie the game at 21-21 with 3:08 to play. The run continued and after 12 straight JWU points, the Pride trailed 28-21. Hawkesworth had seen enough, draining back-to-back three pointers to stem the tide but JWU still carried a 28-27 lead into halftime.

The second half was a nailbiter all the way. Pederzani hit from beyond the arc to put JWU up 38-35 with 3:53 to play in the third quarter but layups from Stone and Hawkesworth kept it close and the period ended with the Wildcats up 40-39.

JWU had a chance to create some separation in the fourth quarter when Whitehead's jumper put the Wildcats up by four points with 6:04 to play but Bumila's layup tied the game at 47-47. The teams traded baskets down the stretch before the Pride hunkered down on the defensive end, holding JWU to without a field goal for the final 2:30 and finishing with a 6-0 run to seal the win.

 

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