Pride Hold Off Saints for GNAC Victory

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College rallied from deficits in each half, taking the lead late in regulation and holding off Emmanuel College for a 55-52 victory Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Taylor Iorfino (Monroe, Conn.) led the Pride with 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, while Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) finished with nine points, 12 rebounds, and five steals. Regis' freshmen also played a significant role in the victory, as Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) tied her career high with 15 rebounds to go along with seven points, five assists, and two steals, and Mackenzie Emery (Standish, Maine) contributed seven points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals to the winning effort.

Emmanuel scored the first four points of the game, but Regis quickly answered with four points of its own. Korie Mathis hit a three-pointer to put the Saints on top, where they would remain for a while until a layup by Iorfino tied the score at 14-14. Caitlin Barker hit a three-pointer late in the first quarter as Emmanuel held a 20-17 advantage after the opening period.

The second quarter was a defensive battle, as neither team made a field goal until consecutive baskets by Shannon Kelley (Quincy, Mass.) and Iorfino tied the game at 21-21 with 4:11 left in the period. Jamad Fiin hit a three-pointer, but the Pride responded with a jumper by Marissa Prall (Hopkinton, Mass.) and a three-pointer from Gonzalez to pull ahead in the final minute of the half. Riley Lahiff made two free throws to tie the contest at 26-26 heading into halftime.

The Saints opened the third quarter with a 10-2 scoring over the first four minutes thanks to the combination of Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda and Loredana D'Agostino. Fiin extended the Saint lead to a game-high nine points at 43-34 with a three-pointer, but Regis scored the final five points of the third quarter to close its deficit to four at 43-39.

Emmanuel's Kayla Weaver made a steal and fast break layup with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter to give the Saints a 52-47 lead, but that would be the final points allowed by the Pride. After three missed shots and two turnovers by Emmanuel, Regis finally cut the Saint lead to one on a driving layup by Gonzalez. Emmanuel made another turnover, and the Pride took the lead as Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) found Gonzalez underneath for a layup.

On the ensuing possession, the Saints had two chances to retake the lead, but missed both shot attempts. Regis was fouled, but could not extend its advantage, and Emmanuel grabbed the defensive rebound and called timeout to advance the ball.

With 18 seconds remaining in regulation, Emery stole the ball, drew a foul, and made both free throws as all of her points came from the charity stripe. Emmanuel again advanced the ball after a timeout, but missed two long distance attempts to tie the game, and then the Saints ran out of time as the buzzer sounded.

Ramirez-Tejeda notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as did D'Agostino with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists and four steals. Lahiff contributed six points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocked shots, and Weaver led all players with six steals as Emmanuel scored 16 points off 25 Regis turnovers.

The Saints shot just 29.2 percent (19-of-65) from the field, including 4-of-11 from behind the three-point line, and 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from the free throw line. Emmanuel did enjoy a slight rebounding edge, 46-43, but could score only three second chance points off 17 offensive boards.

As a team, the Pride shot 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the free throw line. Regis forced 23 Emmanuel turnovers, converting them into 17 points as it defeated the Saints for the first time since the 1996-97 season, snapping a four-game winning streak for Emmanuel over Regis.

Emmanuel (12-6, 4-1 GNAC) travels to New London, N.H., to face Colby-Sawyer College Wednesday, Jan. 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Saints will then play four of their final six regular season games at home.

Regis (9-9, 3-1 GNAC) continues its four-game homestand Wednesday night, Jan. 29, against Lasell University with a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Pride then hosts University of St. Joseph next Saturday, Feb. 1, starting at 12 p.m. in the National Girls and Women in Sports Day dedication game.