Bay Path beats Becker 49-37 in NECC Action

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Bay Path University women's basketball team defeated visiting Becker College, 49-37, in a New England Collegiate Conference contest at Holyoke Community College Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats raced to an early 12-6 lead, but the Hawks battled back with a three-point play from senior guard Brooke Martel (Griswold, Conn.) cutting the Bay Path lead to 12-11. The Wildcats regained control behind a 13-2 run, fueled by six points from sophomore center Briana Kujawski (Webster, Mass.), to push their advantage to 25-13 with 4:47 on the clock. The squads exchanged buckets over the final minutes of the first half with Bay Path taking a 29-17 lead into halftime.

The Hawks trimmed into their deficit in the opening five minutes to make it a 32-20 game. Becker cut their deficit to single digits with a 10-5 run, capped off by a three-point play from Martel, to make it a 37-30 game at the 9:41 mark. Bay Path regained a double-digit lead with 5-0 run, eventually taking a 44-32 lead with 3:51 to play. The Hawks made it a nine-point game twice in the final minutes, but Bay Path outlasted Becker down the stretch to secure the 49-37 victory.

Bay Path had three scorers in double figures, led by 13 points from sophomore guard Brenna Roy (Stafford Springs, Conn.). Sophomore forward Frankie Wauneka (Easthampton, Mass.) registered a double-double with a game-high 18 rebounds with 11 points, while sophomore Briana Kujawski (Webster, Mass.) added 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Martel and freshman guard Alycia Dery (Millville, Mass.) each tallied 12 points for the Hawks. Junior forward Gabrielle Gallo (Northport, N.Y.) had eight points and six rebounds in the loss.

Becker edged Bay Path on the glass, 46-45, during the game. The Wildcats connected on 32.7% (16-of-49) from the field, including 26.3% (5-of-19) from three-point range, and 48% (12-of-25) from the foul line. The Hawks were 22% (13-of-59) from the field, 13.3% (2-of-15) from three-point, and 45% (9-of-20) from the free throw line.

The Wildcats improve to 2-9 overall and 2-5 in the NECC, while the Hawks drop to 0-13, and 0-7 on the season. Bay Path returns to action at home against Elms College Saturday, January 24th at 5:00 p.m. Becker hosts Fitchburg State Thursday night at 8:00 p.m.