CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College junior forward Erika Murphy (Torrington, Conn.) netted a team-high 15 points and collected a team-best 13 rebounds, but Becker College's Kristina Desnoyers (Adams, Mass.) scored a game-high 17 points and led three Hawks in double figures to help lift Becker to a 73-54 win over the Blazers in Tuesday evening's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.
With the loss, Elms falls to 8-15 overall, 6-8 in NECC action, while Becker improves to 8-14 on the season, 6-8 in league play.
Elms raced out to an early 7-4 lead as Murphy scored six of the Blazers' first six points of the contest until Desnoyers swished a three-pointer to even the game at 7-7. After trading baskets to set the score at 9-9 at the 13:37 mark of the first period, Becker used an 18-8 run over the next 8:10 post a 27-10 advantage.
Layups by freshman guard Emily Boucher (Ashburnham, Mass.), Murphy and a trey by freshman guard Taylor Darby (Bristol, Conn.) highlighted a late 7-2 run that pulled the Blazers to within two at 29-27 with 1:11 remaining in the period, before Chelsea Joubert (Westborough, Mass.) hit the back end of two free throws with 14 ticks on the clock to set the score at 30-27 at halftime.
Following a Hawks bucket to begin the second half, Boucher drained a three-pointer to pull Elms back to within two at the 18:49 mark, but a 14-5 over the next 6:04 gave Becker a comfortable 13-point lead.
Holding a 10-point 52-42 lead with 9:27 to play in the game, Becker scored nine unanswered points to open up a commanding 61-45 cushion with just under five minutes to play in the contest.
From there, Becker kept at least a 16-point lead and led by as many as 22 en route to its 73-54 victory.
Desnoyers hit on 8 of 14 from the field, while Joubert and Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) went a combined 11 for 23 from the field and netted 14 points apiece to spark a Hawks offense that shot 47.8-percent from the floor, including an impressive 54.3-percentage in the final 20 minutes.
Ooms directed the offense with 10 assists, while Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, Mass.) recorded a game-best 15 rebounds in the winning effort.
Condon finished with 13 points and 10 boards for the Blazers, while Boucher added seven points. Murphy added four assists and three steals in the losing effort, while sophomore guard Jen Normandie (Westford, Mass.) collected seven rebounds off the bench.
Elms returns to NECC action on Thursday, Feb. 17 when it travels to Boston, Mass. to take on Wheelock College at 8:00 p.m.