WESTON, Mass. – Shannon Hayes (Billerica, Mass.) scored a season-high 20 points, Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.) added a double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds and the Regis (Mass.) women's basketball team topped Keene State 73-58 in its home opener Wednesday night at Higgins Court.
Lilly Shlimon (Pelham, N.H.) led the Owls with 18 points on 7-13 shooting and Kenzie Bennett (Lake George, N.Y.) added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Regis (1-3) opened the game on a 10-2 run before 12 unanswered points gave Keene State (1-5) its first lead with 1:10 to play in the first quarter. Sam D'Angelo's (Woburn, Mass.) three pointer followed by Stone's and-one three-point play helped the Pride to the early lead, but Bennett brought the Owls back with a pair baskets and another from long distance. Hayes, however, would nail a corner three at the end of the period to retake the lead for the Pride at 15-14.
Regis regained control in the second period and headed to halftime with a 38-28 lead. Miranda Hernandez (Poway, Calif.) hit a three pointer and D'Angelo converted a driving layup as part of a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. Regis kept up the pressure and maintained a double-digit cushion for much of the period before heading to the break with a 10-point lead.
Regis had a chance to pull away after the break, twice leading by 13 points before a quick spurt by the Owls shaved the lead to single digits by the end of the third quarter. The Pride would regain its cushion though when an 8-0 run to start the fourth gave Regis a 69-49 lead with 5:59 to play.
Keene State would not go quietly into the night however. Consecutive three pointers from Sandi Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) and Emily McPadden (Tyngsborough, Mass.) cut the Regis lead to 12 points with 4:26 remaining. The deficit proved to be too much to overcome though as Regis coasted to the win.
The Pride is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 2 visiting Albertus Magnus for its Great Northeast Athletic Conference opener at 1:00 p.m. The Owls host UMass-Boston Saturday for their conference opener as well.
#RegisWBB