PAXTON, Mass. – Regis College raced out to a double-digit first quarter lead, stayed ahead despite a significant run against the Pride in the second quarter, and held on throughout the second half to defeat Anna Maria College, 63-62, Thursday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's basketball game at the Fuller Center.
Courtney Doherty (Willimantic, Conn.) led the Pride with a season-high 18 points and five steals, plus she pulled down seven rebounds, while Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) notched her fifth career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds along with six assists, two steals, and three blocked shots. Olivia Pacheco (Waterford, Conn.) also earned a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Shannon Kelley (Quincy, Mass.) added eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists to the winning effort.
Regis scored the first six points of the game with three points apiece from Doherty and Pacheco. After a traditional three-point play from Anna Maria's Marinique Reddin, Kelley and Doherty hit consecutive three-pointers to extend the Pride lead to 12-3.
Chloe Giordano hit two free throws to bring Anna Maria within eight at 17-9 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Pride scored the final eight points of the period, starting with the first four career points for Lauren Lividoti (Medford, Mass.). In the final seconds, Yvelande Donis (Randolph, Mass.) stole the ball and passed it to Kelley, who quickly shipped it to Searcy at the top of the three-point arc. Searcy hit her second career three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pride a 25-9 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Anna Maria (2-10, 1-5 GNAC) scored 11 straight points in the first four minutes of the second period, featuring three-pointers from Reddin, Giordano, and Ashley Rufo, to close to within five at 25-20. Consecutive layups by Giordano brought the AMCATS within three before the Pride finished the first half with a 6-3 scoring stretch to take a 35-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Doherty and Kelley hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the third quarter as the Pride scored the first eight points of the second half, but the AMCATS answered with nine unanswered points, five of them from Giordano, over the next three minutes to close to within five at 43-38. After a traditional three-point play from Doherty, Anna Maria rattled off seven straight points to cut its deficit to three, but a layup by Kelley in the final minute increased the Pride lead to 50-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth period, as the first field goal by either side did not come until a layup by Searcy three-and-a-half minutes into the quarter. Pacheco put the Pride ahead by eight at 58-50 with 4:13 left in regulation, but a traditional three-point play from Reddin and two made free throws by Rufo pulled the AMCATS back within three at 58-55.
Reddin responded to three made Regis free throws with a three-pointer to once again make it a one-possession game, and Megan Burdett hit one of two free throw attempts to bring the AMCATS within two with 20 seconds remaining. Doherty hit two free throws to give Regis a four-point advantage, and the Pride was able to hold on for the victory.
The AMCATS were led by Reddin with 22 points and seven rebounds as well as Giordano with 19 points and four steals. As a team, Anna Maria shot 32.2 percent (19-of-59) from the field and 72 percent (18-of-25) from the free throw line, plus it scored 25 points off 24 Regis turnovers.
The Pride hit just 29.9 percent (20-of-67) of their field goal attempts and 62.1 percent (18-of-29) of their free throw opportunities. Regis enjoyed a significant rebounding advantage, 59-35, including 24 offensive rebounds that resulted in 17 second chance points. The 59 boards are the most for the Pride since a 68-rebound effort at Westfield State Nov. 21, 2017.
Regis College (4-6, 3-1 GNAC) heads to Chicopee, Mass., to face Elms College Saturday, Jan. 22, for a 1 p.m. tipoff.