WESTON, Mass. – Led by senior Sabree Rodriguez's (Brockton, Mass.) 24 point performance, the Regis College women's basketball team defeated New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) foe Becker College by a score of 80-39 on Monday evening at Higgins Court. With the win, the Pride move to 16-0 in league play and 19-4 overall, while the loss drops Becker to 8-15 overall and 7-9 in the NECC.
Prior to the match, Rodriguez was recognized for her contributions to the women's basketball program over the past two seasons. After transferring to Regis in the spring of 2012, Rodriguez wasted little time making her mark and has been a key component of the team.
Following the brief ceremony, the Hawks were able to jump out to a 17-13 lead ten minutes into the contest, with junior forward Jacqueline Chila (Monroe, Conn.) scoring six of those points for Becker. The hot start by the visitors prompted a Regis timeout at the 9:34 mark. The Pride regrouped and were able to start to turn things around.
From the span of 8:58 to 1:30, Regis erupted and went on a 22-1 run, with eight points coming from Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) during that stretch. Marro, who scored 14 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed five rebounds, and had two steals on the night, also hit a shot at the buzzer to push Regis' lead to 37-20 at halftime.
The second half saw the Pride shoot an impressive 58.6% from the field as a team, led by Rodriguez and Lauren Kimble (Concord, Calif.). Kimble hit back-to-back three-pointers and put Regis ahead 54-27 at the 13:50 mark. Just over thirty seconds later, she hit a free throw to finish off a three-point play and gave the hosts a 30 point lead. The junior guard shot perfectly on the night, going 4-for-4 from the field, including 3-for-3 on three-point attempts. Kimble also sank all three of her free-throws and finished with 14 points, two assists, and one rebound.
Rodriguez went on a run of her own during the second half after knocking down seven unanswered points, capped by a layup at the 6:41 mark to put the score at 73-36. The senior guard would score 15 second-half points on 7-for-9 shooting, finishing the game with five rebounds and three assists to go along with her 24 points, as the Pride held on to win by the final score of 80-39.
Becker was led by Chila and Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, Mass.), who scored 10 points and 16 points, respectively. Mojica was just short of a double-double after grabbing eight rebounds. Junior guard Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) also chipped in with a team-high six rebounds for the Hawks in the losing effort.
Both Regis and Becker will be back in action on Wednesday, February 13 as each squad will be on the road. Becker will travel to take on Mitchell at 6:00 p.m., while the Pride will travel to Lesley, with tip-off coming at 8:00 p.m.