Becker Soars Past Women's Basketball

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Bay Path University Women's Basketball squad fell to the visiting Becker College Hawks, 63-25, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) clash at the Bartley Center on the campus of Holyoke Community College Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks extend their win streak to three games and move to 9-5 overall and 6-1 in NECC play, while the Wildcats slide to 0-6 in conference action and 1-10 on the season.

The Hawks seized control early with an 11-0 run over the opening four minutes, featuring six points from senior Ciara McKissick (Charlton, Mass.). Becker junior Cassidy Harrison (Foxborough, Mass.) netted five straight points, followed by a three-point play from senior Adrianna Dowdy (East Haven, Conn.) to push the Hawks to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.

A three-pointer from junior Kelsey Maynard (Millville, Mass.) extended the Hawks lead to 26-0 with 7:47 on the clock. The Wildcats ended their scoreless drought on a jumper from senior Jo Nazario (Springfield, Mass.) with 5:39 remaining in the quarter. Bay Path closed the frame with an 8-5 run, wrapped up with four points from sophomore Emmeline Bronson (Shelton, Conn.) to trim the gap to 31-10 at the break.

The Becker offense outscored the Wildcats, 23-6, in the third quarter to create separation. The Hawks used treys from Dowdy, senior Katey Anderson (Beachwood, N.J.) and sophomore Jazlyn Contreras (Pawtucket, R.I.) to build a 46-12 lead at the halfway point. Becker senior Allie Ablondi (Thompson, Conn.) sandwiched a three-pointer and a layup around a pair of free throws from freshman Tori Maynard (Millville, Mass.) to hand the Hawks a 54-16 advantage after three quarters.

Bay Path freshman Kamryn McCorison (Southwick, Mass.) opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a jumper following an offensive rebound. At the 5:57 mark, Becker sophomore Cassandra Nelson (Exeter, N.H.) raced down the floor for a fast break layup to give the Hawks their largest lead of the game, 59-18. Bay Path worked at the gap with free throws from Bronson and a three-pointer from Nazario, but the Hawks would roll to the 63-25 victory.

Bronson paced the Bay Path offense with a team-high 10 points with four rebounds and four assists. Nazario added eight points and seven rebounds, while senior Sam Drapinski (Malden, Mass.) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Becker had 13 players in the scoring column, led by a game-high 11 points from Kelsey Maynard. Dowdy filled the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. McKissick chipped in eight points, three rebounds and three assists, while Harrison had seven points and freshman Christina Marcoux (Manchester, Conn.) notched seven rebounds in the win.

Becker shot 35.3% (24-of-68) from the floor, including 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point range. Bay Path connected on 20% (8-of-40) from the field and 18.2% (2-of-11) from three-point. The Hawks outrebounded the Wildcats, 46-37, during the contest.

Bay Path returns to the court with a conference road trip to Lesley University Tuesday night for a 6:00 p.m. tip. Becker hosts Southern Vermont in conference action Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.