FITCHBURG, Mass. – Regis College jumped out to a significant lead in the first quarter, withstood a rally by Fitchburg State University in the second quarter, and then pulled away again in the second half as the Pride defeated the Falcons, 82-60, Wednesday night in a non-conference women's collegiate basketball game at Parkinson Gymnasium.
Courtney Doherty (Willimantic, Conn.) led the Pride with 17 points, while Madi Zancan (Cumberland, R.I.) notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Erika Marinelli (Point Pleasant, N.J.) scored a career-high 13 points. Haley Lightbody (Reading, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with seven points, with the Regis bench also contributing, led by Kailyn Smith (Chelmsford, Mass.) with eight points and six rebounds.
The Pride held the Falcons scoreless through the first three minutes of the game, scoring the first eight points and putting together a 17-3 scoring run later in the opening period. Regis held Fitchburg State to just one made field goal in the first quarter as the Pride took a 25-6 advantage into the second period.
Fitchburg State (4-10) battled back, outscoring the Pride 18-4 to close its deficit to 29-24 with four minutes remaining in the first half. After a traditional three-point play from Lightbody and a layup by Doherty, the Falcons closed out the quarter on a 6-1 scoring run, capped by a layup from Rylie Harlow to bring the home team within four points at halftime, 35-31.
Marinelli and Jordyn Striggles (Raynham, Mass.) combined to score the first 10 points of the third quarter to extend Regis' lead back into double digits. Zancan and Smith scored four points apiece during a quick 8-0 Pride scoring run midway through the period, and the Pride would continue to pull away on the way to their second consecutive road win.
Harlow led the Falcons with 17 points, plus she pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Stephanie Hart led Fitchburg State on the boards with 11 rebounds. As a team, the Falcons shot just 31.9 percent (22-for-69) from the field and 63.2 percent (12-for-19) from the free throw line.
As a team, the Pride shot 41.3 percent (33-for-80) from the field and 81.3 percent (13-for-16) from the free throw line. Regis scored 38 points off 27 Falcon turnovers and enjoyed a slight rebounding edge, 53-50.
Regis College (4-10) hosts Mitchell College in a GNAC matchup Saturday, Jan. 13, starting at 3 p.m. at Higgins Court.