Bay Path Falls to Anna Maria in DIII Action

PAXTON, Mass. - The Anna Maria College women's basketball team built a 39-15 advantage in the first half and held on for a 60-46 victory over Bay Path College in a Division III matchup at The Fuller Activities Center on Sunday afternoon. The win was the third-straight for the AMCATS, improving their overall mark to 3-2, while the loss drops the Wildcats to 2-4 on the season.

The Wildcats' Jessica Hunt (Madison, Conn.)led all players with 18 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Christina Calabrese (Hamilton, N.J.) added 11 points, all in the second half, to go along with a game-high six steals.

The AMCATS came storming out of the gate in the first half, shooting 16-28 (57.1%) from the field, including 4-7 from behind the arc. Sophomore Samantha Ashton (Worcester, Mass.) led the charge for the AMCATS, pacing all scorers with 11 first half points on 5-7 shooting from the floor. Senior Maggie Sielawa (Webster, Mass.) also had a strong half, scoring six points while grabbing four rebounds and five steals.

The AMCATS forced the Wildcats into 20 turnovers during the period, leading to 17 AMC points. Anna Maria went into the locker room holding a 24-point advantage, 39-15.

The second half was a different story, as the Wildcats began slowly chipping away at the AMC lead. Seniors Hunt and Calabrese helped Bay Path battle back, scoring 12 and 11 points in the period, respectively.

The Wildcats outscored the AMCATS 31-21 in the half, but eventually ran out of time, as AMC held on for the 60-46 victory.

Ashton filled the stat sheet for AMC, scoring 17 points to go along with five steals, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, without committing a single turnover. Sielawa also had an outstanding game, scoring 15 points with a game-high nine rebounds, adding five steals. Freshman Alison McCarthy (Lynn, Mass.) added seven assists and four boards in the win.

Bay Path will return to the court on Saturday when they travel to face Hampshire at 3:00 pm. The AMCATS will look to continue their winning ways when they host Newbury College on Thursday at 5:30 pm.