by QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women’s basketball team notched an 80-59 victory over Dean in the first contest of the 2017-18 campaign Wednesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.
The Lions climb to 1-0 on the year with the win while the Bulldogs fall to 0-1 overall.
Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Navajo/Hopi) poured in a team-high 15 points off the bench in her collegiate debut. Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds while Jacquelin Arretche (Los Banos, Calif.) also posted 10 points and dished out six assists in the contest. Alyssa Cosio Murillo (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Michelle Detwiler (Elkhart, Ind.) both netted nine points on the night.
After a slow start, the home side got on the board midway through the opening period as Holmes drained a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Eastern Nazarene grabbed its first lead of the night with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter, 6-4, on a layup by Amber Amortegui (Davie, Fla.).
Dean closed out the opening quarter with a 7-2 run to hold an 11-8 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Lions regained the lead with 4:34 left to play in the second period as Sekaquaptewa converted two free throws, 24-23.
The hosts chalked up four points in the final minute of the first half to jump ahead 31-29 at the break. Tia Torio (Manteca, Calif.) banked in a layup to level the score at 29-29 before Murillo sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds on the clock.
The Lions shot 39.3% from the floor despite an 0-for-10 effort from beyond the arc in the opening half. The Bulldogs sported a field-goal percentage on 40% through two quarters of action while also connecting on 1-of-6 from three-point range.
Sekaquaptewa paced the home team with seven points in the first half while Holmes, Detwiler, Murillo, and Amortegui all poured in four points.
Eastern Nazarene began the second half with a 16-3 run to widen the gap to 46-32 with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lions maintained the double-digit advantage throughout the third period and carried a 57-45 lead into the fourth frame.
The home team extended its lead to 20 points five minutes into the fourth as Amortegui knocked down a mid-range jumper, 70-50.
The visitors tallied six consecutive points to trim the margin to 70-56 with 3:24 left to play in regulation.
Eastern Nazarene outscored the Bulldogs 10-3 down the stretch to secure its first-ever victory over Dean.
The Lions shot 47.5% from the field on the night, including 22.7% from long distance. The Bulldogs concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 33.8% to go with 5-for-17 shooting from behind the arc.
Shania Springer led Dean with 19 points while Morgan Turner and Chantell Lopez both chipped in with 10 points.
Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will square off against Western Connecticut State November 17 in the opening round of the Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament.
