Regis Women’s Hoop Defeats Becker

LEICESTER, Mass. – Regis College overcame a quick start by Becker College, using tough defense and timely offense for a 49-37 victory Saturday afternoon in a non-conference women's collegiate basketball game at Leicester Gymnasium.

Maura Russell (Braintree, Mass.) hit four three-pointers in the second half as she led the Pride with 14 points. Valerie Martin (Derry, N.H.) finished with eight points and six rebounds, Sam D'Angelo (Woburn, Mass.) contributed seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) added five points, five rebounds, and five steals.

After Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) scored the first basket of the game, Becker rattled off 10 unanswered points, including four points by Jazlyn Contreras, to open a 10-2 advantage midway through the first quarter. The Pride scored the final five points of the quarter to close to within three at 10-7.

Becker (6-5) opened the second quarter with a three-pointer by Cassidy Harrison, but that would be the only field goal for the Hawks in the period, as Regis outscored Becker 13-1 the rest of the quarter. The Pride took the lead late in the quarter on a free throw by D'Angelo, and then a three-pointer by Martin and a fast-break layup by Searcy extended the Regis lead to six at halftime.

Harrison hit another three-pointer early in the third quarter to close the Hawk deficit to four, but Regis responded with 13 unanswered points over a four-minute span to extend its lead to 36-19. A layup by Veasey late in the fourth quarter increased the Pride advantage to 48-28 before Becker closed out the game with a 9-1 scoring run against the Regis reserves.

Harrison led the Hawks with 12 points, while Ciara McKissick finished with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. As a team, Becker shot just 26.3 percent (15-of-57) from the field and 50 percent (4-of-8) from the free throw line, plus the Hawks committed 22 turnovers that led to 19 Regis points.

The Pride shot 30.8 percent (16-of-52) from the field, including 6-of-19 from behind the three-point line, and 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the free throw line. Regis won the rebounding battle, 44-37, and the 37 Becker points are the fewest allowed by the Pride in a single game since a 95-33 victory over Lesley Feb. 21, 2017.  

Regis (4-8) opens its Great Northeast Athletic Conference schedule this Tuesday, Jan. 8, by hosting preseason GNAC favorite Saint Joseph's College at Higgins Court beginning at 7 p.m. The Monks were ranked 14^th in the last WBCA Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll released Dec. 18 and will bring a 12-0 overall record into Tuesday's contest.