NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) scored a career-high 30 points, but Regis College was unable to overcome a hot shooting start by Albertus Magnus College as the Falcons defeated the Pride, 79-68, Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's basketball game at the Messer Athletic Center.
Gonzalez shot 11-for-20 from the field, including 4-for-7 from behind the three-point line, and 4-for-6 from the free throw line to become the first Regis player to score 30 points in a game since Brittany Stone scored 30 points at Simmons Feb. 6, 2018. Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Olivia Pacheco (Waterford, Conn.) added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Diamond White hit two three-pointers in the first minute-and-a-half of the game, but Pacheco responded with consecutive baskets to bring the Pride within two points at 6-4. White started a 12-0 Falcon run with another three-pointer, with Katherine Raposo scoring five points during that three-minute stretch.
Down 20-6, Regis cut its deficit in half with seven straight points, capped by a three-pointer from Gonzalez, but three-pointers by Natasha Rivera and Raposo helped Albertus Magnus open a 27-17 lead heading into the second quarter. The Falcons scored the first seven points of the second period, and then they put together a 12-2 scoring run to extend their lead to 23 at 50-27 at halftime, shooting 56.7 percent (17-for-30) from the field in the first half.
White hit two more three-pointers right after halftime as the Falcons scored the first eight points of the third quarter and eventually extended their lead to as much as 31 points at 62-31. The Pride battled back, starting with a 10-0 run to close out the third period, the first six of those points coming from Gonzalez on a three-pointer and a traditional three-point play.
Albertus Magnus (13-8, 12-2 GNAC) opened the fourth quarter with an 11-4 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from White, but Regis never gave up, as Gonzalez scored eight points during a stretch of 10 unanswered points for the Pride. Regis outscored Albertus Magnus 13-3 in the final three minutes of the contest.
White led the Falcons with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Jakara Murray-Leach finished with 20 points. Rivera contributed 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, and four blocks, and Caitlyn Scott added 10 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
Albertus Magnus shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field, including 13-for-23 from behind the three-point line, and 82.4 percent (14-for-17) from the free throw line. The Falcons scored 18 points off 17 Regis turnovers.
As a team, the Pride shot 38.4 percent (28-for-73) from the field, including 5-for-14 from behind the three-point line, and 53.8 percent (7-for-13) from the free throw line. Regis dominated the rebounding battle, 49-32, including 23 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second chance points.
Regis College (9-8, 8-3 GNAC) hosts Lasell University next Tuesday, Feb. 15, starting at approximately 8 p.m. in the second game of a basketball doubleheader at Higgins Court.