Pride Women’s Hoop Earns First Win of Season in Dramatic Fashion

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College improved offensively in the second half, hitting almost half of its field goal attempts after halftime as the Pride rallied for a 76-71 victory over Fitchburg State Tuesday evening in a non-conference women's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.

Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) shot 8-of-15 from the field as she led the Pride with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Valerie Martin (Derry, N.H.) finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high seven assists. Senior Maura Russell (Braintree, Mass.) hit three three-pointers, including the 100^th three-pointer of her career, as she ended up with 13 points, and Sam D'Angelo (Woburn, Mass.) contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

With Fitchburg State ahead 37-30 at halftime, Martin and Russell each hit two three-pointers early in the third quarter to close the Regis deficit to two at 44-42. After two free throws by Angelina Marazzi, Veasey scored five straight points to give the Pride a one-point advantage, but Catherine Coppinger answered with a jumper to allow the Falcons to retake the lead at 48-47.

Martin hit a three-pointer with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter to break a 49-49 tie and give the Pride a lead they would carry into the final period. Marazzi hit consecutive jumper to put Fitchburg State back on top, 60-58, but Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) found Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) underneath the basket to create another tie at 60-60.

After a layup by D'Angelo, Fitchburg State responded with a three-pointer from Mishelle Logie and a layup by Coppinger to establish a four-point advantage with three minutes left in regulation. Regis would score the final nine points of the game, highlighted by a traditional three-point play from D'Angelo with 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the home team ahead for good.

Marazzi led the Falcons with 23 points, nine assists, and six steals, while Coppinger finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Logie scored 14 points, and Kerry Brodbeck led everyone with 12 rebounds in the game.

Fitchburg State (6-4) shot 39.4 percent (28-of-71) from the field, including 6-of-19 from behind the three-point line, and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. The Falcons scored 18 points off 17 Regis turnovers as well as 14 fast break points.

As a team, Regis shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field, including 8-of-24 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the free throw line. The Pride won the rebounding battle, 47-37, including 12 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second chance points.

The Falcons went on a 16-2 scoring run over a six-minute span in the first quarter to establish their early advantage. The Pride responded with a 14-5 scoring run to close to within three early in the second quarter. Fitchburg State scored the next seven points, Regis followed with a 10-2 scoring run of its own, and then the Falcons scored the final five points of the first half, capped by a traditional three-point play from Payton Holmes, to go into halftime with their seven-point lead.

Regis (1-4) heads to Framingham State for a contest against the Rams Thursday, Dec. 13, starting at 6 p.m. The Pride will close out the fall semester portion of the schedule with a home game against Southern Maine Saturday, Dec. 15, beginning at 1 p.m.