by QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women’s basketball team edged Pine Manor 89-84 Tuesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.
The Lions leap to 3-1 on the season with the victory while the Gators slide to 1-3 overall.
Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Hopi/Navajo) led five players in double-figures with 20 points off the bench while also recording five rebounds and three assists. Alyssa Cosio Murillo (Santa Barbara, Calif.) poured in 16 points, grabbed five boards, and dished out five assists. Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) notched 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on the night. Tia Torio (Manteca, Calif.) netted 12 points and hauled in a team-high nine boards while Amber Amortegui (Davie, Fla.)chipped in with 10 points.
The home team raced out to an 11-3 lead with 5:49 left to play in the first quarter.
Eastern Nazarene extended its advantage to 15 points late in the period as Sekaquaptewa sank two free throws, 26-11.
Pine Manor chalked up four straight points to cut the deficit to 26-15 after 10 minutes of action.
The Lions widened the gap to 23 with 4:44 remaining in the second frame on a basket by Amortegui, 43-20.
The hosts sported a 52-29 lead at halftime after outscoring the guests 26-14 in the second quarter.
Eastern Nazarene shot 57.6% from the floor to go with 57.1% shooting from three-point range in the first half. Pine Manor was limited to 33.3% shooting from the field and just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc in the opening frame.
Murillo paced the Lions with 16 first-half points and five rebounds while Holmes chipped in with nine points and five boards.
The visitors cut the deficit to 54-40 with 6:43 left to play in the third on a layup by Nakazja Holley.
After the home side stretched the margin to 19 on a layup by Sekaquaptewa, Pine Manor’s Erica Jones converted one free throw to pull narrow the gap to 68-50 heading into the final frame.
The Gators started the fourth quarter with a 21-3 run to pull even at 71-71 with 5:53 remaining in regulation.
Eastern Nazarene responded with a 13-4 run to claim an 84-75 advantage with two minutes to go in the game.
The Lions drained five free throws in the final minute of action to secure the win.
Eastern Nazarene finished with a field-goal percentage of 48.4% to go with 50% shooting from behind the arc. Pine Manor shot 44.3% in the contest and 33.3% from long distance.
Jones scored 20 points to lead the Gators while Taylor Ingram Martin and Keyleigh Merrell both registered double-doubles.
Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene heads to Wheelock November 27 for a non-conference tilt.
