KEENE, NH – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team shot nearly 57 percent from the floor, closing out the regular season with its fourth straight win, 80-50, over Keene State College Saturday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.
As the No. 2 seed, Eastern (17-8, 12-4 LEC) earns a first-round tournament bye into Friday's semifinals. Top-seeded UMass Dartmouth hosts the tournament semifinals and final this weekend. In the semifinals, the Warriors play the winner of Tuesday's first-round game between No. 3 University of Southern Maine and No. 6 Castleton University. Eastern defeated both of those teams on the road most recently after losing to both of them at home the first time around.
Against Keene (4-21, 1-15 LEC), junior forward Mya Villard (Cromwell) and freshman forward Anna Barry (Andover) each had 15 points. Barry was 7-of-9 from the floor with two blocks and Villard was 7-of-7 from the foul line and pulled down ten rebounds for her third straight double-double and 11th of the season.
Off the bench, senior forward Kelsey Santagata (Stamford) had ten points and five rebounds and junior guard Julie Jordan (Sterling) seven assists, six points and two steals.
While Easternn was shooting 56.7 percent from the floor, Keene managed just 32.1 from the field, including 4-of-23 from three-point range.
Last year, Eastern was 8-6 in the conference and finished the season 12-15.