by SAN JUAN,P.R.- The Eastern Nazarene College women’s basketball team defeated Universidad Metropolitana 56-45 Sunday.
The victory elevates the Lions to 7-3 on the season.
Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) poured in a game-high 18 points and grabbed four rebounds. Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Hopi/Navajo) netted 12 points and eight boards off the bench. Alyssa Cosio Murillo (Santa Barbara, Calif.) chipped in with nine points while Tia Torio (Manteca, Calif.) finished with five points and six rebounds.
Eastern Nazarene raced out to a double-digit advantage with 3:18 left to play in the first quarter as Sekaquaptewa tossed in a layup, 14-4.
The Lions held a 17-8 lead after 10 minutes of action.
The Caimanes posted a 14-7 edge in second-quarter scoring to cut the deficit to 24-22 at halftime.
Metropolitana opened the third frame with a 9-0 run to capture a 31-24 lead with 6:05 remaining in the quarter.
Sekaquaptewa hauled in her own rebound and sank a layup with 36 seconds to go in the third to trim the margin to 37-33 heading into the fourth frame.
Eastern Nazarene exploded for 23 points in the final quarter while limiting Metropolitana to just eight points to earn the non-conference win.
The Lions shot 39.6% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. The Caimanes finished with a field-goal percentage of 35.4% while connecting on just 3-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Up next, Eastern Nazarene returns to the hardwood in 2018 with a key Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at home against Endicott January 4.
