CASTINE, Maine – New England College's women pulled away late to secure a 53-38 North Atlantic Conference (NEC) victory Saturday evening. The Pilgrims (11-1, 5-1 NAC) dominated the final 10 minutes of play, outscoring the Mariners (5-6, 2-3 NAC) 20-9 to rebound from their first setback in league play.
Jenna Ledy's (Pickford, Mich.) timely treys proved too much for MMA. She made it a 36-29 game midway through the second half and later snuffed out any hope for MMA. Four minutes prior, the Mariners held a one-point lead, but a Taylor Burgess (Randallstown, Md.) layup followed by Kate Levy's (Woods Hole, Mass.) bucket-and-one turned the momentum, igniting a 12-2 run over the next four minutes. Casey McCloseky (Howland, Maine) answered with a three to make it a six-point game with 8:41 left in the contest.
The Mariners never got any closer than six the rest of the way.
Trailing 45-38 with four-and-a-half to play, Ledy dropped in a layup, then banged home a three on the following possession to make it a 12-point differential. The Mariners packed it in without putting up a point the rest of the way.
Ledy finished the night with a dozen points, tying with teammate Rachel Williams (Chapel Hill, N.C.) for the game-high. Williams had a team-high nine rebounds, while Ledy pulled down six.
Maine Maritime played the role of gracious hosts, turning the ball over 33 times, including 23 unforced errors. NEC cashed in on the Mariners miscues for 24 points. Both teams played stingy defense in a physical game, but the Pilgrims provided the sustained effort, limiting the Mariners to a 29.8 percent shooting effort. After hitting on just 22.6 percent of its shots in the first half, NEC clicked on 48.1 percent of their shots in the second to finish the night at 34.5 percent.
The Mariners dominated the glass 44-30, with Leah Jackson (Dedham, Maine) pulling down 18 boards, including seven on the offensive end. Bekah Campbell (Corinth, Maine) recorded six rebounds to go with her game-high 10 points, while Sam Goda (Eliot, Maine) put up eight points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
Maine Maritime returns to action on Tuesday against Maine-Farmington. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Smith Gymnasium. The Pilgrims return to NAC play on Thursday against Castleton State.
NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE 53, MAINE MARITIME 38
NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE (11-1, 5-1)
Jenna Ledy 4-8 1-2 12; Rachel Williams 6-15 0-1 12; Taylor Burgess 3-6 2-5 8; Kate Levy 2-3 1-1 5; Jessie Ledy 1-3 1-2 4; Stephanie Parker 1-4 2-2 4; Katarina Muska 2-5 0-0 4; Kayla Lawlor 1-6 1-3 3; Danika Johnson 0-5 1-2 1; Jasmine Ledy 0-1 0-0 0; Shauntaye Pumphret 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-58 9-18 53.
MAINE MARITIME (5-6, 2-3)
Bekah Campbell 4-10 2-2 10; Sam Goda 4-10 0-0 8; Crystal Clark 3-7 0-0 7; Maggie Smith 1-7 2-2 5; Courtney Dufour 1-5 0-0 3; Casey McCloskey 1-3 0-0 3; Leah Jackson 0-3 2-3 2; Kayley Rodriguez 0-0 0-0 0; Jillian Perron 0-1 0-0 0; Alyssa Severance 0-0 0-0 0; Kari Jones 0-1 0-0 0; Casey Everest 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-47 6-7 38.
New England College........... 20 33 - 53
Maine Maritime................ 21 17 - 38
3-point goals--New England College 4-16 (Jenna Ledy 3-5; Jessie Ledy 1-2; Stephanie Parker 0-2; Katarina Muska 0-2; Kayla Lawlor 0-2; Danika Johnson 0-1; Jasmine Ledy 0-1; Rachel Williams 0-1), Maine Maritime 4-15 (Casey McCloskey 1-2; Courtney Dufour 1-3; Maggie Smith 1-6; Crystal Clark 1-3; Kari Jones 0-1).
Fouled out--New England College-Rachel Williams, Maine Maritime-None.
Rebounds--New England College 30 (Rachel Williams 9), Maine Maritime 44 (Leah Jackson 18).
Assists--New England College 8 (Taylor Burgess 2; Kayla Lawlor 2; Rachel Williams 2), Maine Maritime 8 (Leah Jackson 3; Sam Goda 3).
Total fouls--New England College 16, Maine Maritime 16.
Technical fouls--New England College-None, Maine Maritime-None.
A-58