CHESTNUT HILL, MA - The Wheelock College women's basketball team, which entered Saturday tied for first place in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), was denied its first 3-0 league start in 14 seasons as a conference member by dropping a 54-35 decision to Newbury College at Pine Manor College's Brunelli Court. The Wildcats, who slipped to 3-7 overall and 2-1 in the league, had won three of their past five games and looked to already match last season's win total. The Nighthawks, now 4-7 and 2-1, have won four of their last six.
Sophomore Kailah Simon (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) turned in career highs of nine points and seven rebounds for Wheelock, while classmate Keneisha Milton (Boston, MA/Wayland) had a game-high 11 boards and six points. Junior Kayla Drescher (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) turned in six points and seven boards, senior Joy Holliday (Milford, MA/Milford) added six points, and junior Morgan Perry (Hartford, CT/Metropolitan Learning Center) swatted a pair of shots. The Wildcats, who forced 23 turnovers while committing 22, were narrowly outrebounded, 47-44, and saw the Nighthawks shoot 6-of-21 on free-throw tries.
In Newbury's first game since Dec. 11, junior Shayla White (Dorchester, MA/Wellesley) led the visitors with 15 points, canning a trio of threes, while sophomore Catherine O'Connell (Quincy, MA/North Quincy) had eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Wheelock held her to 6.7 boards fewer than her season average, which leads all NCAA divisions across both genders. Classmate Jasmine Bishop (Waterville, ME/Waterville) added six points and seven rebounds.
A Drescher hoop and an ensuing freebie from Milton put the Wildcats on top, 3-2, 1:30 into the game, but the Nighthawks responded with the next 13 points over a 4:40 stretch, receiving scoring from five different players. Junior Maya Spratling (Dorchester, MA/Cathedral) and Drescher later provided consecutive hoops to draw the hosts within 18-9 by 9:47 of the opening half, but the visitors scored the next 10 points, as two straight threes from senior Ashley Monteiro (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) capped the run. The Nighthawks used a 5-of-12 showing from three-point range during the stanza to create a 34-17 halftime lead.
Simon netted the first three points of the second half, bringing Wheelock within 14, but it came no closer. Newbury expanded its lead to as many as 23, though the Wildcats put together a modest 9-2 run to make it a 49-33 game with 2:54 remaining. Holliday notched all six of her points in that stretch. Senior Caitlin Kerr (Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) hit a pair of freebies with 1:04 left to cap the scoring.
Wheelock hits the road on Tuesday at Mitchell College for a 3 p.m. NECC contest.