CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Five players netted double digits for the Regis College women's basketball team and Head Coach Julie Plant became just the second women's basketball coach in school history to register 100 career victories in a 74-29 win over host Wheelock College this afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference contest at Brunelli Court on the campus of Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Pride have now won five straight games and 12 of their last 13 to improve to 17-4 overall and a perfect 14-0 in NECC play, while the Wildcats school-record three-game win streak comes to an end as they fall to 3-16 and 3-10.
Plant reaches the 100-win mark in 180 games in her seventh year as the second-fastest to the milestone in program history, behind Donna Tanner, who notched her 100th victory in 150 games in six seasons.
The Regis defense held Wheelock to just 22.4% (11-49) shooting from the field and forced 32 turnovers.
Sophomore guard Jessica Ramsey (Milford, Mass.) completed a three-point play with a free throw to pull the Wildcats to within 5-3 with just two and a half minutes gone in the opening half, before the Pride reeled off 10 unanswered points to take a 15-3 advantage with 14:04 to play in the half. A layup from Wheelock senior forward Kayla Drescher (Wallingford, Conn.) later cut the deficit to 15-7 with 11:58 showing, but the Pride outscored the home team, 26-4 over the next 10 minutes, paced by a pair of three-pointers from sophomore guard Leah Murphy (Westborough, Mass.), to take their largest lead of the period at 41-11 with 1:16 to go in the half. Regis owned a 41-12 advantage at halftime.
The Pride increased their lead to 54-14, following a 13-2 stretch in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Wildcats responded with nine straight points, including six from junior forward Keneisha Milton (Boston, Mass.), to pull to within 54-23 with 10:27 remaining in the contest. Regis maintained a 58-27 cushion with 8:15 showing on the second half clock, before closing out the afternoon with a blistering 16-2 run to take home a 74-29 win.
Freshman guard Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) led the Pride with 13 points on 4-6 from the floor and 5-6 from the line to go with seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals, while sophomore forward Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) dropped in 12 points, grabbed four boards, came up with two steals and handed out an assist in 15 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) netted 11 points, pulled down three rebounds and dished for two assists, while freshman guard Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.) chipped in with 10 points on 3-5 from the field and 3-3 from the line in addition to three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 19 minutes. Murphy finished the day with 10 points off the bench and added four rebounds, three steals an assist and a game-high two blocks. Senior guard Stephanie Crawford (Rockland, Mass.) led all players with eight steals and added eight points, two rebounds and three assists.
Milton led all scorers with 16 points for Wheelock in addition to nine rebounds, seven steals and two assists, while Drescher contributed with six points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.
The Crimson and Gold return to action on Tuesday night when the Pride hosts Bay Path College in a 5:30 p.m. NECC matchup.
Release courtesy of Wheelock College Sports Information