WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College women's basketball team took advantage of its chances at the free throw line, hitting 17 of 24 attempts, as the Pride were able to defeat Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Johnson & Wales, 64-52, Saturday afternoon at Higgins Court.

Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) shot 8-of-12 from the floor, registering a team-high 17 points coming off the bench and bringing down four rebounds. Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was able to make her presence felt on the defensive end, tying her season high with five steals and recording a career-high three blocks, while Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) was able to draw opportunities at the line, going 8-of-11 from the charity stripe, recording five assists and four rebounds to go with her 10 points.

The first points of the game would come off of a three-pointer from Maura Russell (Braintree, Mass.), who went 5-of-9 from the field. The Pride would continue to build a lead off a layup from Taylor Iorfino (Monroe, Conn.), getting up to a five-point lead before the Wildcats' Ally Mishol was able to draw a foul and convert her free throws. A three-pointer from Dede Stevenson would tie up the game for Johnson & Wales, and then Mishol would hit a three-pointer to end the quarter with the Wildcats up by three.

With the Pride knotting things up off a three from Russell, the Wildcats would respond with a seven-point stretch sparked by another Mishol three-pointer off an assist from Gabrielle Nicastri. The Pride would trail until Veasey would grab an offensive board and lay it in for a 22-21 lead. The half would finish with Regis holding a one-point edge at the break, 24-23.

Throughout the third quarter the teams would trade baskets with the largest lead of the period being a five-point lead for the Pride. Valerie Martin (Derry, N.H.), who would finish with four points, three assists, and five rebounds, would put the Pride up for good off a layup with 7:52 remaining in the third. Veasey would score eight points in the stanza.

The Pride took control on the boards, ending with a plus-10 margin in rebounds, however the turnover battle would be won by Johnson & Wales, as the Wildcats finished with 13 steals.

Mishol and Stevenson would finish the game with 19 points each for the Wildcats (4-15, 3-3 GNAC), being the only players on the team to score in double digits. The Pride would have four players in double figures as Iorfino would finish with 12 to go along with Veasey (19), Russell (16), and Bitinaitis (10).

The Pride (7-12, 3-4 GNAC) will play their next two games on the road, beginning with a trip to Bates College Tuesday, Jan. 29. Regis will then visit Colby-Sawyer Thursday, Jan. 31 to close out January. Regis opens a three-game homestand next Saturday, Feb. 2, against Rivier at 3:30 p.m.