Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) sank the game-winning buzzer beater and secured the GNAC rebounding title with her monstrous 26-point, 22-rebound, four-block effort in Saturday's 75-73 win. Her tip-in as time expired sealed the Gators first road win of the season as the forward broke a three-way tie atop the league rebounding charts. In addition to her 22 boards, Wright also set career highs with 14 free throws in 17 attempts. 

Nelson (Rockport, MA/Rockport) exploded for career- and game-highs of 28 points on 7-13 shooting from three-point range, playing all 40 minutes Saturday. The forward also pulled down seven rebounds while shooting 7-8 at the charity stripe. Her seventh three-pointer tied the game at 68, capping a late ten-point comeback in the final minutes.

Wright's accolade marks the first time a Gators basketball player has earned Player of the Week honors since former center Amanda Dennis earned the award on February 16, 2009.

Wright's mid-air tip in sealed a career game, as well as a probable GNAC rebounding title, as the sophomore went off for 26 points and 22 rebounds. Fellow forward Tia Nelson poured in 28 points, connecting on seven three-pointers in the finest effort of her freshman campaign as the Gators locked up an 11th-place finish in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

"It was our best game of the season," said Pine Manor head coach Alex Gould. "Paulette dominated."

Pine Manor overcame a 10-point late second half deficit to tie the game with under a minute to play. After a time out, with seconds remaining and the ball under the opposite basket, Wright's career-best 22nd rebound on an errant three-pointer preceded the game-winner.

"Coming out of the time out, Phibe [Pham] had a pretty good look at a three," said Gould, "but Paulette caught it in mid-air and put it back in."

The rebound also likely secured a GNAC rebounding title for Wright, who entered the final day of the regular season tied with Lasell's Kim Archibald and Rivier's Jess Mellen for the conference lead with 10.3 rebounds per game. With her career effort, Wright ends her sophomore season averaging 10.94 rebounds.

Neither team led by more than four points through the first five minutes. A Natalie Mastarreno three put the Blue Jays ahead 13-8 at the 14:19 mark, but Gould's Gators countered with a 9-0 run sparked by seven straight points from Wright. 

Nelson's first trifecta again gave the Gators a four-point lead, 20-16, just inside the 10:00 mark. Pine Manor increased its lead to five on a pair of Wright free throws before a Michelle Fillion three-pointer tied the contest for the sixth time with 5:23 left in the half.

St. Joseph regained the lead for the first time in over 11 minutes with two free throws from GNAC scoring leader Ilaria Schiano at the 2:00 mark. Gators guard and Hartford native Enjolee Phillips nailed a three with nine seconds in the half to send the teams into halftime tied at 35.

The Jays opened the second half on a 5-0 run, increasing the lead to seven, 46-39, on a Danielle Feola layup. Nelson answered with back-to-back threes to cut the lead to one before an 8-0 St. Joe's run capped by a Royce three-pointer just inside the 10:00 mark. St. Joseph worked its lead to 10 three times in the next five minutes, leaving the Gators trailing 65-55 with 5:32 to play.

Eight straight Gators points, six from Wright, pulled the Gators to within one with 2:43 left. After two St. Joseph free throws, Nelson's seventh three of the day tied the game at 68 with 2:11 remaining. A Royce layup with 54 seconds to play gave the Blue Jays back the lead before Nelson, who shot 7-8 from the line, calmly converted a pair to tie the contest at 70 with 30 seconds remaining.

After a Terese Collins layup handed the Jays back the lead, Lacree Robinson's three-point play gave Pine Manor its first lead of the half with 18 seconds left. Phillips' fifth foul then sent Mastarreno to the line, where she hit one of two to tie the contest with seven seconds to go. Gators junior Phibe Pham, aided by a Robinson screen at midcourt, drove the length of the floor and stepped into an open three-pointer that rattled out, but Wright secured her 22nd rebound and dropped in the game-winner as the buzzer sounded.

Nelson's 28 points marked a career high, as were her seven three-pointers. The freshman will also end her season among the GNAC's best, averaging 1.8 three-point field goals per game, which currently places her in the Top 10. Phillips added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Pham dished out a team-high five assists.

Pine Manor ends the season at 2-18 (2-10 GNAC), while St. Joseph falls to 4-20 (0-12 GNAC).

Paulette Wright (right) led Pine Manor with 16 points and a game-best 16 rebounds, giving the forward her fifth double-double in the last seven games. Tricia Culver posted a double-double of her own, with a game-best 18 points and 10 boards, and JoAna Bishop and Reegan Bracket followed with 17 points each for the Lasers.

Tia Nelson's three-pointer gave the Gators an early lead at 3-2 just 1:21 into the contest. An Aponi Washington layup at the 14:45 mark gave the Gators their largest lead of the night at 8-5.

Gina Simpson-Hobbs connected on a three-pointer at the 12:23 mark that put Pine Manor back on top at 13-12, but a 7-0 Lasers run capped by a Kelsey Converse three followed, putting Lasell ahead for good. The Gators scored the last three points of the first half to go into the locker roon down 11, at 38-27, but a 9-0 Lasell run in the first four minutes of the second half made it a 50-29 game and distanced the Lasers, which improved to 7-15.

Bishop and Bracket each scored 11 of their 17 after halftime, with Bracket coming off the bench and tallying her 17 points in only 23 minutes. Culver, meanwhile, scored her 18 points on an equally economical 6-12 shooting. Lasell's bench outscored Pine Manor's 29-6 as the Lasers scored 29 points off 25 Gators turnovers.

In her second straight game with 16 or more rebounds, Wright tied a career high with four blocks, also adding two steals and a pair of assists. Freshman center Aponi Washington (left) set a career high with 11 rebounds, and guard Enjolee Phillips added 14 points as Pine Manor fell to 0-18.

The Gators will enjoy a week off before joining the WBCA/Kay Yow Cancer Fund Pink Zone, raising breast cancer awareness in a Gators vs. Staff game on Tuesday, February 16 at 7 p.m. in Pine Manor Gym.

             Emmanuel scored in spurts, managing three runs of eight or more straight points before a late 9-0 run that put the game out of the Gators reach. 

             Forward Meredith Shaw (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) came off the bench to pace four Saints in double figures with 16 points in 23 minutes. Gators forward Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) tallied her fourth double-double in league play with 12 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, and Pine Manor guard Enjolee Phillips (right, Hartford, CT/Weaver) led all scorers with a season-high 18 points.

            A Phibe Pham (South Boston, MA/Snowden) three-pointer cut the Saints lead to 6-5 four minutes into the game. After Pine Manor’s Gina Simpson-Hobbs misfired on a trey just over a minute later, Emmanuel’s Casey Shelvin cashed in from distance to make it an 11-5 game at the 14:47 mark.

            Pine Manor kept the game within two possessions until a Jade Santos (Plymouth, MA/Cardinal Spellman) layup put the Saints ahead 19-12 at the 10:45 mark.   Santos’ basket was part of an 8-0 run featuring three Shaw baskets that saw the Saints go ahead 21-12. A Phillips jumper pulled the Gators to within eight, at 31-23, with 3:23 in the first, but Emmanuel scored four straight to take a 35-23 halftime lead.

            In a 10-0 run that spanned both halves and ultimately distanced the Saints, Andy Yosinoff’s club took a 41-23 lead in the first 75 seconds of the second half. A third 8-0 run, this featuring back-to-back threes by Casey Shelvin (Medford, NY/Mary Louis) and Breanna Ockimey and then an Ockimey (Philadelphia, PA/Academy of Notre Dame) layup, widened the margin to 60-33 at the 13:00 mark.

               Simpson-Hobbs (left) countered with eight straight points, scoring a layup and consecutive threes to pull the Gators back to within 20, at 60-41. The junior guard’s third triple of the half cut the margin to 18, 68-50, with 7:48 left, but it was all the undermanned Gators could muster, as a 9-0 Emmanuel run put the game away.

               While the Gators held a 27-26 advantage on the boards at halftime, the Saints worked a 46-45 advantage for the game. Emmanuel forced 22 Gators turnovers, and the Saints offense executed its way to a 19-11 turnover-to-assist ratio.

               Save starting forward Pamela Mobley (Worcester, MA/Doherty), who left the game early in the first half with a leg injury, all 12 Saints scored, as did all seven Gators, four of whom played 32 or more minutes.

               Shaw led the Saints with eight rebounds in addition to her 16 points, as she shot 7-11 from the field. Ockimey scored her 13 points in only 15 minutes, as Shelvin and senior guard Iman Davis (Tom’s River, NJ/St. George’s) tallied 12 each.

               Simpson-Hobbs scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half, shooting 3-6 from three-point range in the half and 3-8 on the game. Wright’s 19 rebounds are a career high and the most for a Gators player since Amanda Dennis pulled down 17 on December 2, 2006.

               Pine Manor travels to Lasell to take on the Lasers on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Emmanuel plays host to Emerson Tuesday night at 6:30.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – Pine Manor basketball will register its most important assist of the season on Wednesday night, February 10.

   ��             As a part of his team’s commitment to community service, Gators head coach Alex Gould announced Friday the team will travel to Canton, MA for a game of wheelchair basketball against Massachusetts Hospital School, a boarding and day school for mentally and physically disabled young persons ages 13-22.

                 “I am very excited for this fun and exciting community service opportunity at Mass Hospital School,” said Gould.

                 According to its Web site, MHS provides “medical, habilitative, rehabilitative, recreational, educational and vocational services to children and young adults with multiple disabilities,” which include Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders. The MHS wheelchair basketball team competes against local high school, college, adult and pickup teams.

                 The game with take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday at MHS, which is located at 3 Randolph St. in Canton.  The general public is encouraged to attend.

                 “Apparently both sides are very excited,” said Gould.

                 The Gators return to action Saturday at noon against Emmanuel. Pine Manor then plays at Lasell College in Newton on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before visiting Massachusetts Hospital School Wednesday night.

Forward Meghan Daigle's layup put the Monks in front 10-2 just 4:23 into the contest. A 12-3 St. Joe's run capped by a Melanie Cloutier three-pointer put the home team ahead 36-15 with 1:05 left in the first half. Gators guard Enjolee Phillips scored five straight points to make it a 36-20 game at intermission.

A Paulette Wright jumper cut the Monks lead to 12 with under 14:00 to play, but a 19-5 Monks run put to rest any ideas of a comeback. 

Daigle led all players with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Phillips scored a team-high 14 points for Pine Manor, converting on both of her three-point attempts. Freshman forward Tia Nelson followed with 11 points, shooting 2-6 from distance. 

Wright finished with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Wednesday marked the fifth straight GNAC contest in which the sophomore totaled at least eight points and eight boards.

Pine Manor returns home to take on Emmanuel on Saturday at noon.

            Norwich forward Christine Daniels (Concord, NH/Concord) paced three Cadets in double figures with a game-high 15 points on 7-8 shooting. Erica Rate (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth), who hit on 3-6 three-point field goals, and Tara Stevenson, who converted 5-6 field goals, (Watertown, CT/Holy Cross) followed with 11 points each as Norwich improved to 13-5 (5-1 GNAC). The league’s highest-scoring offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Cadets earned 21 assists to only 14 turnovers. 

            Pine Manor sophomore forward Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) fell two rebounds shy of her fourth consecutive double-double, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds. Junior Jataiya Alexander (Hartford, CT/Weaver) tied Wright with eight boards, and junior Enjolee Phillips tied for team-high honors with 10 points as Pine Manor fell to 0-15 (0-7 GNAC).

            Norwich, which entered the contest averaging a GNAC-best 69.6 points, led for the entire game after Rate’s first triple put the visitors ahead, 3-0, 34 seconds into the contest. Tia Nelson’s (Rockport, MA/Rockport) layup 50 seconds later made it a 3-2 game, and a pair of Alexander free throws made it a 7-4 game inside the 17:00 mark. A minute later, a Wright layup got the Gators back to within three, at 9-6. 

            A 14-0 Norwich run spanning the next five-plus minutes put the game out of reach. Daniels connected on three straight field goals, and Rate mixed a three-pointer in with three Jess Jaggars (Vergennes, VT/Union) free throws, giving the Cadets a 23-6 lead inside the 11:00 mark of the first half.  Norwich closed the half on an 11-2 run, going into intermission leading 36-14.

            Although the team shot over 42 percent in the first half, the Cadets were only heating up. Norwich ran off 49 second half points, shooting a blistering 64 percent from the field in the second half. Mark Zacher’s club did it at the defensive end, too, limiting Pine Manor to 22 percent shooting and forcing 28 turnovers.

            The Gators held the advantage at the charity stripe, as the team shot a season-best 93 percent (13-14) from the line. Norwich made under 56 percent of its free throws, shooting 10-18 at the line.

            Pine Manor travels to St. Joseph’s (ME) on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tilt with the Monks, while Norwich plays host to Lasell at 7 p.m.

Sophomore forward Paulette Wright posted her third straight double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior guard Enjolee Phillips added 11 points as the Gators failed to come up with thier first win in 14 tried.

A Phillips layup cut the early Lions lead to 12-8 before a 6-0 Lions run, but Pine Manor answered with a Phillips three-pointer and a Jataiya Alexander layup to get back within five, at 18-13.

Emerson came back with a 17-5 run to close the half, going in leading 35-18. Leading scorer Olivia Di Nucci, who entered the contest third in the GNAC at 15 points per game, led all players with 24 points. The freshman scored 17 after halftime, shooting 6-9 in the second, including 3-5 from beyond the arc as, she and the Lions prevented any chance of a Gators comeback.

Pine Manor returns to action Saturday at noon, playing host to Norwich in GNAC play. 

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – Saturday’s Great Northeast Athletic Conference match-up between Albertus Magnus and Pine Manor turned into the Kendrae Walker show from the opening tip.

            After capturing the tip, the Falcons junior center scored 10 points in the first 5:00, 23 in the first half and 37 points in all – half her team’s total – in a 74-50 Albertus Magnus victory this afternoon at Pine Manor Gym. Walker (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) added 12 rebounds and a pair of steals as the Falcons (7-9, 4-1 GNAC) soared to a 39-21 halftime lead in a game they led from the outset.

            She got Albertus on the board with a jumper just eight seconds into the game, and her team took a 4-0 lead on a Krystal Bryant jumper 25 seconds later. Pine Manor’s Tia Nelson (Rockport, MA/Rockport) answered, hitting a three-pointer to pull the Gators within a point, 4-3. Walker and Gators pivot Paulette Wright (right, Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) then exchanged field goals, keeping Pine Manor within one, at 10-9 inside the 16:00 mark.

            After scoring eight of her team’s first 10, Walker went off on a personal 9-0 run over the next 3:10 to give the Falcons a 19-9 lead. A Yiafia Dowridge (White Plains, NY/Woodlands) free throw snapped Walker’s streak, but a Walker layup capped an 8-0 run that saw Albertus open up a 27-10 lead from which the Gators would never recover.

            With her team trailing 39-21 at halftime, Nelson’s third three-pointer got the Gators to within 15 to start the second half, but it was as close as the Gators would come. After hitting on 11-14 field goals in the first half, Walker shot 8-14 in the second. Ten different Falcons scored, but none other than Walker finished with more than six points.

            After shooting 57 percent in the first half, Albertus was held to 39 percent shooting in the second and shot 48 percent for the game.  Pine Manor forced 22 Falcons turnovers but ultimately had no answer for Walker, who shot 16-25 (64 percent) overall and 5-7 from the stripe. Her 37 points is the highest total for a Pine Manor opponent in four years, surpassing Simmons’ Kristen Lucek’s 36 points on January 28, 2006.

            Wright held her own inside, leading the Gators with 14 points on 5-11 shooting, matching Walker’s 12 rebounds.  Nelson continued her stellar play, setting a career high with 12 points three games after matching a career-best 11 points.

            Gina Simpson-Hobbs (Dorchester, MA/English) rounded out three Gators in double-figures with 11, shooting 4-5 from the line. Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver), meanwhile, stuffed the stat sheet for five points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers as the Gators fell to 0-13 (0-5 GNAC).

            The Gators travel to Emerson on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Lions, returning home to take on Norwich next Saturday, January 30, at noon.

As the team has done often as of late, the Gators stumbled out of the gate. The Wildcats (7-9, 2-1 GNAC) jumped out to the early lead and opened their largest lead of the first half on a three-pointer by Allysen Dowen, taking a 22-8 advantage with 8:07 left in the period. 

Pine Manor responded with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 24-17 on a jumper by junior guard Enjolee Phillips with 3:35 remaining in the half.  That, however, was as close as the Gators would get, as the Wildcats took the 32-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

Johnson & Wales forced 19 first half turnovers while holding Pine Manor to just 36% shooting from the field.

The Wildcats picked up in the second half where they left off in the first. TJ Ciolfi's club opened the period on a 14-5 run to take a 46-26 lead, never looking back.

For Pine Manor, forward Paulette Wright posted her best GNAC outing of the season. The sophomore led the Gators with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Phillips followed with 11 points and four rebounds.

Pine Manor returns to Chestnut Hill to take on Albertus Magnus on Saturday at noon.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – A 10-0 Simmons run to open the first half and a 15-3 run to close it distanced the sweet-shooting Sharks from Pine Manor in an easy 87-46 victory Monday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s basketball play.

            Senior guard Julianna Eagles (Quincy, MA/Fontbonne) scored all of her 14 before halftime, hitting on 4-5 first half threes. Fellow forward Stephanie Fox (West Springfield, MA/Suffield) chipped in with 11 in the first, as did guard Emily Thomas (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire), who hit on all seven of her field goal attempts on the night for 14 points. Tony Price’s Sharks (10-5, 3-1 GNAC) shot 45 percent from the floor, converting on 8-16 first half three-pointers in opening up a 46-24 halftime lead.

            A jumper from leading scorer Paulette Wright cut the Sharks lead to 31-21 at the 4:30 mark of the first. Eagles answered with back-to-back treys, with Fox throwing in a three of her own in a 9-0 run to over the next 2:00 to put the game away before halftime before intermission.

            Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough), who entered tonight’s contest leading Pine Manor (0-11, 0-3 GNAC) with 11.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, was held to eight points and six rebounds in only 19 minutes. Freshman forward Tia Nelson (Rockport, MA/Rockport) led the Gators with 10 points.  In her first career start, forward Lacree Robinson scored six on 3-5 shooting.

            The third-leading scorer in the GNAC entering the night at 14.8 points per game, Fox led all players with 28 points and five steals, as all five Simmons starters finished in double figures. Eagles, Emily Thomas and Liz O’Conner followed with 14 a piece, with O’Conner (Milton, MA/Milton) corralling a game-high 10 rebounds.

            In addition to the team’s hot shooting, the Sharks also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Gators 54-38. A Pine Manor opponent shot over 80 percent at the charity stripe for the second straight game, as the Sharks made good on 17-21 free throws for 81 percent.

            Pine Manor travels to Johnson & Wales on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Simmons returns to action at St. Joseph’s (ME) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

            A pair of Wildcats field goals forced an early timeout from Gators coach Alex Gould, but for the second straight game, a Tia Nelson (right, Rockport, MA/Rockport) three-pointer gave Pine Manor an early lead, this one at 7-6 with 13:40 left in the first. A pair of Yiafia Dowridge free throws gave the Gators a five-point lead, which Gould’s team held until two Elise Ordile (Waltham, MA/Waltham) freebies gave Wheelock the lead, 20-19, at the 7:30 mark.

            In her second game as a Gator, freshman forward Lacree Robinson (South Boston MA, South Boston) went baseline for a layup to retake the lead on the next possession, and the Gators held the lead for the final 7:00 of the half. Pine Manor’s lead ballooned to five on two more occasions, first on a Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) layup and for a final time on another Nelson trifecta with 90 seconds left.

            Free throws were the theme of the night for Wheelock, and another pair from Ordile at the stripe, followed by a Keneisha Milton layup (Randolph, MA/Wayland) with under 40 seconds in the half sent the Gators to the locker room clinging to a 30-29 halftime lead. Milton led all scorers with 10 before break, while Wright and Ordile followed with nine each.

            Wheelock instantly took command to start the second, but Nelson again answered. An Ordile layup and a Kayla Drescher (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan) jumper gave Brooke Freeburg’s club a 33-30 lead in the opening minute. Then, with the shot clock expiring, Nelson hit on her third three-pointer, this from 25 feet, to tie the game at the 18:00 mark.

            The next 8:00 featured four ties and four lead changes, with a Yiafia Dowridge (White Plains, NY/Woodlands) free throw putting the Gators back on top, 43-42, with 9:11 remaining. On the next possession, a Joy Holliday (Milford, MA/Milford) jumper gave Wheelock back the lead, which increased to three on a pair of Milton free throws.

            Gina Simpson-Hobbs’ (Dorchester, MA/English) three-pointer just outside the 8:00 mark tied the game at 46. The eighth tie of the contest was the last, though, as the Wildcats mixed a Holiday three-pointer in with a 10-12 effort from the charity stripe over the final 7:27, tucking away the team’s first win of the season.

            A Wright jumper at the 2:16 mark made it a 56-53 game, but Holliday immediately responded with her third three of the game. Pine Manor shot 0-4 over the final 1:50 to drop to 0-10.

            Holliday and Wright tied for game-high honors with 15 points. Ordile totaled a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and senior forward Kerry Casey added nine points and a game-best 13 boards for Wheelock, which shot 19-22 (86.4 percent) from the stripe, outrebounding Pine Manor 43-39.

            Wright added seven rebounds, while Nelson finished with 11 points and six boards. Dowridge added 11 points and five rebounds, as Pine Manor fell to 0-10.

            The Gators wrap up a three-game homestand Monday night, returning to GNAC play against Simmons at 7 p.m.  

 
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CHESTNUT HILL, MA – After a Tia Nelson three-pointer put the Gators ahead to open the game, a 26-0 Suffolk run put any questions to rest, as the Rams throttled Pine Manor, 79-27, Tuesday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s basketball action.

            The Rams (5-6, 1-1 GNAC) Laura Thompson shot 5-5 from the floor in the first half for 12 points, and fellow forward Jacqueline Vienneau also added all of her 11 before halftime, as the Rams opened up a 44-9 lead at intermission. Thompson (Kennebunk, ME/Kennebunk) scored six of her 12 first half points during the run, and Vienneau (Salem, NH/Central Catholic) added seven during the streak, which spanned 9:33. A Gina Simpson-Hobbs free throw snapped the Gators drought at the 8:33 mark.

            Pine Manor (0-9, 0-2 GNAC) turned the ball over 20 times before halftime, as the Rams stifling defense held the Gators to just 13 percent shooting in the first. Suffolk, meanwhile, turned the ball over nine times in the first half, shooting 47 percent for both the opening stanza and the entire game. The Rams turned the ball over a modest 16 times in all, holding Pine Manor to 18.5 percent shooting on the night. 

            The Rams also dominated the battle of the boards outrebounding the Gators 57-34. In spite of her team’s disadvantage on the glass, Pine Manor’s Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) led all players with 10 caroms.

            Thompson’s 12 points were tied with teammate Kristina Hayner’s dozen for game-high honors. Hayner (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) added five rebounds in her 16 minutes off the bench, and guard Mary Garon (Auburn, NH/Trinity) added 10 points and a team-best eight boards.

            Pine Manor’s leading scorer at 13 points per game entering Tuesday, Wright was held to only two points on 1-8 shooting. Guard Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver) led the Gators with eight points and three steals, while Simpson-Hobbs (South Boston, MA/English) added seven. Nelson (Rockport, MA/Rockport) connected on a pair of three-point field goals for her six points.

            Pine Manor continues its three-game homestand on Thursday, playing host to Wheelock in non-conference action at 7 p.m. Suffolk, meanwhile, travels to WIT in non-league play Thursday night at 6.  

Mackenzie Brooks led four Raiders (9-3, 1-0 GNAC) starters in double figures with a game-high 18 points. She totaled 10 rebounds and three assists, and frontcourt mate Jess Melvin added a double-double of her own, with 11 points and a game-best 12 boards.

For Pine Manor (0-8, 0-1 GNAC), second-year guard Yiafia Dowridge (right) scored 11 points on 4-9 shooting. Gina Hobbs-Simpson came off the bench for 10 points, also hitting on 4-9 from the floor, and coralled a team-high six boards in 21 minutes. The junior guard converted on two of four three-point field goals, but her teammates shot a combined 1-10 from distance.

Freshman Tia Nelson added four points and five rebounds, as the Gators committed 26 turnovers and shot just 30 percent from the floor to drop their eighth straight.

Pine Manor kicks off a three-game homestand Tuesday night, taking on Simmons in GNAC action at 7 p.m. The Gators return to Pine Manor Gymnasium two days later, playing host to Wheelock in non-conference play.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA -- In what was ultimately a tale of two halves, the Gators fell short in search of their first win, falling 62-39 to Connecticut College Thursday night.

The Gators shot 47 percent and held the Camels to 33 percent shooting in the first half, but Connecticut College (5-3) cracked down on defense, holding Pine Manor to 18 second half attempts and forcing 17 second half Gators turnovers. A three-point Camels halftime lead ballooned to 15 in the first 7:30 of the second half, spoiling the Gators upset bid.

Pine Manor held a 2-0 lead thanks to a coast-to-coast Stacie Beauford layup on the team's first possession and led for the first 3:00. Four minutes later, a Jennifer Shinall three-pointer put the Camels ahead, 9-4, at the 14:00 mark. Sister Jacqueline Shinall lifted the lead to 10, at 14-4, with a trifecta of her own with just under 11:00 left in the first.

Pine Manor leading scorer Paulette Wright took over in short order, scoring seven straight points before departing for reserve center Aponi Washington, who, in the unlikliest of fashions, picked up right where Wright left off. Wright scored on a layup, a three-point play and another layup to tie the contest at 19-19 at 4:38, departing for Washington a minute later.

The reserve responded immediately, coming up with a steal that led to her third career field goal, giving the Gators a 21-19 lead. Two possessions later, the freshman pivot broke another tie with a three-point play opportunity that gave the Gators a 23-21 lead.

The Camels spoiled Washington and Wright's heroics in the final minute, netting a long three and a buzzer-beating jumper from the elbow to take a 26-23 halftime lead. Unfortunately for Alex Gould's club, Connecticut's momentum carried over and was too much for the Gators to counter in a sloppy second half.

Jennifer Shinall connected on 3-6 field goals in the second, tying her twin with 11 points behind the Camels leading scorer Rita Holak. Holak came off the bench for 5-8 shooting, scoring 13 points in 13 minutes.

Wright scored 11 of her 18 in the first half, leading all players with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Tia Nelson added five points, three steals and two assists as the Gators fell to 0-7.

Pine Manor will break for the semester, resuming play against GNAC foe Rivier on January 9. The Camels take on SUNY-Farmingdale on January 2 in Orlando, FL.

                Jenny Bronson (Morgan, VT/North Country) led the Pilgrims (4-5) with a game-high 15 points, also adding seven rebounds, and Kendall Wolfson (Lyndeborough, NH/Wilton-Lyndeborough) followed with 12 points and a game-best eight boards.

                For Pine Manor, Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) led the way with 13 points, shooting 5-6 from the free throw line, adding five rebounds. Leading scorer and rebounder Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) was held to only seven points and five rebounds.

                The Pilgrims scored the first five points of the night before forward Nicha Emir’s (Boston, MA/Holbrook) 16-foot jumper banked in from straight away to get the Gators on the board. New England responded with seven of the next nine points, with back-to-back Wolfson layups giving the visitors an 11-4 lead at the 16:00 mark.

                After a pair of Beauford free throws cut the deficit to six, at 18-12, a 10-2 Pilgrims run featuring baskets from five different players put NEC up 28-14. A pair of Bronson free throws in the final seconds of the period sent Erica Ledy’s club into halftime leading 32-19, outrebounding the Gators 24-12 in the first half.

                The Gators commenced the second half with an Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver) jumper to cut the deficit to 11 at the 19:00 mark, but it was as close as the Gators would come for the next 12 minutes. Jataiya Alexander’s (Hartford, CT/Weaver) mid-range jumper from the top of the key pulled the Gators to within 12, and a Beauford runner pulled the home team to within 10 inside the 7:00 mark, at 44-34.

                In the end, though, Ledy’s club held off any extended rally from Alex Gould’s Gators, outscoring Pine Manor 11-3 over the last 4:01, as the Pilgrims sailed to a 63-42 victory. NEC outrebounded Pine Manor 44-31 for the game, shooting 39 percent from the field while holding the Gators to 31 percent shooting.

                Pine Manor stays at home, playing host to Connecticut College on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
NEC vs Pine Manor
12/7/09 7 p.m. at Chestnut Hill, MA
At Chestnut Hill, MA
NEC 63, PINE MANOR 42
NEC (3-5)
Jenny Bronson 5-10 5-5 15; Kendall Wolfson 5-8 2-2 12; Christina Bagnera 3-9
0-0 7; Paige Pierson 2-8 2-2 7; Rachel Williams 1-7 4-6 6; Chelsea Fournier
1-2 2-2 4; Kerry Hughes 2-3 0-1 4; Emily Girard 1-6 0-0 3; Jen Adams 1-2 1-2
3; Laurie Silva 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-57 16-20 63.
PINE MANOR (0-5)
Stacie Beauford 4-15 5-6 13; Paulette Wright 3-8 1-3 7; Tia Nelson 2-4 2-2
7; Enjolee Phillips 3-13 0-0 6; Jataiya Alexander 2-2 0-0 4; Phibe Pham 1-5
0-0 3; Nicha Emir 1-2 0-0 2; Aponi Washington 0-0 0-0 0; Sivan Thammachak
0-0 0-0 0; Yiafia Dowridge 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 16-52 8-11 42.
NEC...........................   32   31  -   63
Pine Manor....................   19   23  -   42
3-point goals--NEC 3-13 (Emily Girard 1-4; Paige Pierson 1-3; Christina
Bagnera 1-2; Rachel Williams 0-1; Jenny Bronson 0-3), Pine Manor 2-12 (Phibe
Pham 1-5; Tia Nelson 1-3; Enjolee Phillips 0-2; Yiafia Dowridge 0-1; Stacie
Beauford 0-1). Fouled out--NEC-None, Pine Manor-None. Rebounds--NEC 44
(Kendall Wolfson 8), Pine Manor 31 (Stacie Beauford 5; Paulette Wright 5).
Assists--NEC 8 (Rachel Williams 3), Pine Manor 9 (Paulette Wright 3). Total
fouls--NEC 9, Pine Manor 20. Technical fouls--NEC-None, Pine Manor-None.
A-88

A pair of three-pointers from freshman Tia Nelson kept the Gators within a dozen at halftime, at 42-30. Wright totaled nine of her 21 in the first, but 48 percent second half shooting distanced the Fighting Scots down the stretch.

After hitting on only 4-13 treys in the first half, Gordon connected on 7-13, for 54 percent, in the second. The Scot's Emily Armstrong led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 5-11 from downtown. Marybeth Conlon scored 11 of her 15 in the first, as Gordon improved to 3-4.

Enjolee Phillips tallied 15 points on 7-14 shooting and added seven rebounds for Pine Manor. Stacie Beauford followed, with 10 points and six boards. Junior Jataiya Alexander continued her stellar play, with seven points, seven boards and five steals.

Pine Manor returns home to take on New England College on Monday at 7 p.m.

Paulette Wright's jumper got the Gators (0-4) on the board, trailing 5-2 with just under 6:00 gone. The Leopards (3-4) then sprinted out to an 11-3 run, which Enjolee Phillips broke with a floater in the paint to pull Pine Manor back to within single digits, at 16-7, with 7:00 left in the first half.

It was the last time WIT led by fewer than 10. The home team held Pine Manor without a field goal during a 12-1 run over the final 13:00 of the period to take a 28-8 halftime lead. Leopards guard Meaghan Murphy scored eight of her 11 points in the first, including consecutive buckets in the closing minutes of the frame.

For Pine Manor, Paulette Wright snagged a game-high 11 rebounds, eight in the first half, marking her second straight game with 10 or more boards. Guard Yiafia Dowridge came off the bench for a team-high seven points, including five after halftime. Junior forward Jataiya Alexander added nine rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes of reserve duty.

WIT featured four players in double-figures, with guard Ashley Conway leading the way with 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Murphy, Michelle Fauci and Michelle Moffo scored 11 a piece for the Leopards, which connected on 40 percent from the field in both halves.

It was WIT's defense, though, that should get the credit, holding Pine Manor to just 10 percent (3-30) shooting from the field in the first half and 15.4 percent (4-26) in the second. For the game, Pine Manor shot 12.5 percent from the field, including 12.5 percent (2-16) from three-point range.

Pine Manor returns to play on Saturday at 1 p.m., traveling to Gordon College.

DORCHESTER, MA -- Pine Manor fell to 0-3 with a 65-58 loss to Southern Vermont in the consolation contest of the UMass-Boston Tip-Off Classic Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.

Paulette Wright (left) led the Gators with 19 points, hitting on 5-6 free throws, while Stacie Beauford added 17, and Yiafia Dowridge followed with nine, also making good on 5-6 from the stripe. Sophomores Rachel Pannell and Alyssa Davis led Southern Vermont with 15 points each.

In a tale of two halves, Pine Manor shot an ice-cold 13 percent in the first. The Gators converted on just five field goals in the half, digging itself a 19-point halftime hole at 37-18.

Alex Gould's club responded early and often in the second. Yiafia Dowridge took off after corralling a defensive rebounded and connected on a 17-footer to make the score 37-22, leading Southern Vermont coach Mike Rose to take a time out 90 seconds into the frame.

Wright intercepted a pass at halfcourt and cruised in for a layup that cut the margin to 13 at the 12:15 mark. On the next trip down court, her jumper in the paint cut the Mountaineers lead to 47-36 with 11:55 to play.

After Rose's team extended its lead back to 14, freshman Sivan Thammachak's first career three-point field goal shrank the margin back to 11 at the 9:00 mark. Three minutes later, junior Jammy Torres connected on a floater in traffic to cut the lead to single digits, at 65-58, leading to another Rose time out, but the Gators could never crawl to within striking distance in the closing minutes.

Pine Manor will take a 10-day break and return at WIT on Wednesday, December 2 at 7 p.m.

With the luxury of 12 players, eight of them 5-8 or taller, the Beacons outrebounded Pine Manor 56-21, including 29-9 in the first half, in advancing to Saturday's championship. Senior forward Caroline Ashe led all scorers with 23 points on 4-7 shooting from distance. Junior guard Enjolee Phillips came off the bench for 12 to lead the Gators.  

Pine Manor, which utilized seven, stayed within striking distance in the early going. A Phillips running one-hander got the Gators within 10, at 21-11 at the 7:00 mark. However, the Beacons mounted a late first half run to take a 41-20 halftime lead, shooting 48.5 percent  and holding the visitors to 29.6 percent shooting for the period.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Phibe Pham closed the deficit to 19 midway through the second, but it was as close as the Gators would come. Ashe hit three of her four threes down the stretch, increasing the lead to 30 as the Beacons cruised.

Gina Simpson-Hobbs finished with seven points for Pine Manor, while fellow guards Pham and Yiafia Dowridge rounded out the scoring with six each. In her first action since the second game of last season, Dowridge led the team with six rebounds.

In the night cap, Framingham State toppled Southern Vermont, 86-63. The Gators will face Southern Vermont in the consolation game of the Tip-Off Saturday at 1 p.m. back at the Clark Athletic Center.

Newspaper Box Score

Pine Manor College vs UMass Boston

11/20/09 5:30 p.m. at Clark Athletic Center - Boston, MA

At Clark Athletic Center - Boston, MA

UMASS BOSTON 64, PINE MANOR COLLEGE 31

PINE MANOR COLLEGE (0-2)

Enjolee Phillips 6-17 0-1 12; Gina Simpson-Hobbs 3-8 0-2 7; Yiafia Dowridge

2-11 2-4 6; Phibe Pham 2-5 0-0 6; Aponi Washington 0-3 0-0 0; Tia Nelson 0-3

0-0 0; Kaylyn Delgado 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 2-7 31.

UMASS BOSTON (1-0)

Caroline Ashe 9-12 1-1 23; Kate Levy 4-10 0-0 9; Elizabeth Dow 3-9 1-1 7;

Molly Piette 2-7 2-2 7; Michaela Cunningham 2-4 0-0 6; Cammy Brown 1-3 2-2

4; Kristen Penney 1-5 0-2 2; Jessica Hudon 1-2 0-0 2; Kamiya Flakes 1-2 0-0

2; Sarah McDonough 1-6 0-0 2; Gabrielle Siry 0-1 0-0 0; Jaci Goodwin 0-1 0-2

0. Totals 25-62 6-10 64.

Pine Manor College............   18   13  -   31

UMass Boston..................   40   24  -   64

3-point goals--Pine Manor College 3-16 (Phibe Pham 2-5; Gina Simpson-Hobbs

1-2; Tia Nelson 0-2; Yiafia Dowridge 0-4; Enjolee Phillips 0-3), UMass

Boston 8-19 (Caroline Ashe 4-7; Michaela Cunningham 2-3; Molly Piette 1-4;

Kate Levy 1-3; Sarah McDonough 0-2). Fouled out--Pine Manor College-None,

UMass Boston-None. Rebounds--Pine Manor College 21 (Yiafia Dowridge 6),

UMass Boston 56 (Sarah McDonough 9). Assists--Pine Manor College 6 (Phibe

Pham 2; Gina Simpson-Hobbs 2), UMass Boston 18 (Sarah McDonough 4). Total

fouls--Pine Manor College 12, UMass Boston 12. Technical fouls--Pine Manor

College-None, UMass Boston-None. A-125

2009 UMass Boston Women's Tip-Off Classic - First Round

The Gators took an early lead, 4-2, on a Gina Simpson-Hobbs jumper, but a late first half Wildcats run put Bay Path in front by 13 at halftime, 44-31. Stacie Beauford scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, while Phibe Pham played all 20 minutes in the first and pulled down five boards of her own, but the Gators turned the ball over 16 times in the opening frame alone, digging a hole out of which the team could not climb.

Beauford scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in all, leading Pine Manor in her second career double-double. Freshman Tia Nelson enjoyed a successful college debut, connecting on 3-5 three-point field goals for 11 points, and Paulette Wright scored all 10 of her points in 10 minutes in the second half.

Back-to-back Wright layups cut the Gators deficit to five in the final 90 seconds, but five Wildcats free throws and a jumper  in the last minute fended off the Gators, locking up an 11-point win for the home team. 

Beauford added four steals, Pham totaled seven points, six boards, five assists and a pair of steals and Wright chipped in with six rebounds in limited play.

Forward Jessica Hunt was the difference for Bay Path, turning in 19 points, 16 rebounds and five steals. Brittney Alexander added 21 points, eight boards and four assists as the Wildcats outrebounded the Gators 55-47.

Bay Path converted on 29 of 48 free throws, shooting 60 percent, while the Gators shot 16-34 from the stripe for a paultry 47 percent.

Pine Manor takes on another NECC foe Wednesday night in the team's home opener, playing host to Newbury at 7 p.m.

                Lesser coaches wouldn’t have such expectations for a team bringing back only six letter winners from a 2-21 team. Most coaches wouldn’t be as excited as he is if one of the departures from his two-win team was a 1,000-point scorer and the conference’s all-time leading shot blocker.

                “My expectations this year are many,” said Gould.

                He’s expecting a lot with good reason. His Gators return three of the team’s top four scorers, all of whom averaged 10 or more points, and added notable talent – and more importantly, significant depth – from last season.

                “I want the girls to continue to learn how to work together, rely on each other more frequently, improve both individually and collectively, compete in each contest and hopefully win some games.”

                He now has a solid roster of 13. Last year, five players averaged a hefty 30 or more minutes in a rotation that rarely went eight deep. From last season’s team (2-21, 0-12 GNAC), the trio of Paulette Wright, Stacie Beauford and Enjolee Phillips (right) lead the way at this season’s top returnees, hence increased expectations from Gould, who took over mid-season a year ago.

                “I expect them to be leaders, both on and off the floor,” he said.  “I’m pleased to report that this has been happening already.  Additionally, I am looking to them to help other girls adjust to our new system and lead by example.”

                Leading the charge among the returnees is Wright, a 5-foot-8 forward who proved herself as one of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s elite young forwards. After spending the early part of the season rehabbing a knee injury, Wright (So., Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) came back stronger than ever, averaging 11.8 points, seven rebounds and 1.8 steals in 12 games as a freshman. More impressively, she stepped up her level of play instantly upon her return, averaging 13.6 points, 7.7 boards and 2.1 steals in 10 GNAC games.

                “I expect [Paulette] to be a greater force than she was last year,” Gould said of Wright, who was named 2009 Pine Manor Athlete of the Year.

                A long, explosive interior player with a deft touch who plays bigger than her wiry 5-8 frame, Wright (left) will be looked to in replacing the bulk of the load left by the departure of center Amanda Dennis. The team’s most notable loss, the 6-1 pivot graduated as Pine Manor’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,187 points, setting the all-time GNAC record with 210 blocked shots.

                Though Wright won’t replace Dennis’ defensive prowess, the sophomore was playing as well as almost any forward in the league at the conclusion of 2009. She ended the season by adding 27-point, nine-rebound and 26-point, 11-rebound, four-steal outings to her resumé. Consider the GNAC warned.

                Running mate and fellow Baltimore, MD native Beauford (right) adds athleticism and a scoring punch to the Green and White frontcourt. A versatile, crafty slasher, Beauford (So., Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) can handle the ball in the open floor and play inside or on the perimeter. The 5-7 forward, like Wright, ended her season on a high note, averaging 12.7 points and eight rebounds over the last three contests. The team’s leading distributor at 1.8 assists a game, Beauford looks to build on a strong freshman campaign in which she also averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 points and 1.7 steals.

                After closing her freshman season with back-to-back 21-point outings, Phillips picked up as a sophomore right where she left off, leading the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game. An off-guard who can handle the ball and score in the paint in spite of her diminutive 5-foot-4 frame, Phillips (Jr., Hartford, CT/Weaver) was the team’s most consistent scorer and one of only two players to play in all 23 games. The most experienced Gator, Phillips is also one of the most disruptive defensively, as her 2.3 steals per game ranked her seventh in the GNAC a year ago.

                Also adding experience are juniors Jataiya Alexander, Phibe Pham and Jammy Torres (left). Alexander (Hartford, CT/Weaver) has earned minutes over her two seasons as a scrappy rebounder. At 5-6, the undersized, physical forward led the Gators in rebounding four times in her 16 games as a sophomore, thrice corralling 10 or more boards.  Pham (South Boston, MA/Snowden) averaged three points as a reserve two seasons ago and is expected to add outside shooting to a team that shot just 16 percent from the perimeter. Torres (Randolph, MA/Randolph) played in 19 games last year, making 10 starts, averaging 20 minutes a game.

                Additionally, returning to the backcourt is Yiafia Dowridge (So./White Plains, NY/Woodlands). The 5-foot-6 guard started the first two games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury and averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 22 minutes in contests against Amherst and St. Lawrence. She’s expected to offer Gould another option at the point.

                While it’s his returnees who bring experience, it’s his newcomers who add depth. What has Gould perhaps most excited is that all his added depth is ready to step in and contribute.

                “Our newcomers can play, and I’m looking for immediate impact, especially scoring the ball,” he said.  “We can grow as a team together.”

                Specifically, guards Jessica Gilmore and Regina Simpson-Hobbs (both Jr./Dorchester, MA/English) enter as the additions with the loftiest expectations. The transfers from Bunker Hill Community College, according to Gould, have stood out early in the pre-season.

                “Jessica Gilmore and Gina Simpson-Hobbs have impressed with their athletic ability, explosiveness and talent,” he said. Gilmore averaged 8.5 points, four rebounds and one assist for Bunker Hill in 2006-07, while Simpson-Hobbs averaged 4.3 points, 2.2 assists and one assists for the Bulldogs.

                A versatile forward with range, Tia Nelson (Fr./Rockport, MA/Rockport) has also excelled in the early going. “Freshman Tia Nelson has impressed with her steady low post play and surprising shot blocking ability,” Gould said. At 5-8, Nelson presents potential match-up problems in that not only can she handle opponents down low, but also step out and hit the perimeter jumper.

                As for inside play, the Gators biggest addition in terms of size is 6-foot-1 Aponi Washington (Fr./Brockton, MA/Brockton).  On a team that lacks size – she’s the only player over 5-9 – Washington will be looked to in controlling the paint. “Aponi has the potential to be a great shot blocker and presence down low,” said Gould.

                Rounding out the freshman class is 5-3 Sivan Thammachak (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg).  A quick, athletic guard, Thammachak offers a change of pace to the offense and brings speed to the defense.

                 With a solid, young core of returnees and a talented cast of additions, Gould is rightfully excited. “We have so many girls who can handle the ball, shoot it and break down their defender,” he said.  

                As the several new faces mesh and coming together, he says the team is still formulating its goals. According to the coach, one thing is for sure.

                “I can tell you that no matter what our goals are, we’ll attain them by working together and working hard.”

                Pine Manor opens on Sunday, November 15 at Bay Path College before its home opener against Newbury on November 18. The Green and White’s out-of-conference slate is highlighted by opening the UMass-Boston Tip-Off Classic against the host Beacons on Friday, November 20 and facing Framingham State or Southern Vermont the following day. 

                The Gators pick up after their in-season tournament with a three-game swing through the Commonwealth Coast Conference, travelling to Fenway’s Wentworth Institute of Technology and Gordon College before playing host to New England College to close the semester on December 10.

                Gould’s Gators open the spring semester in GNAC play at Rivier on January 9 but are welcomed back to Chestnut Hill to a three-game homestand featuring Suffolk, Wheelock and Simmons from January 12-18. After travelling to Providence, RI to face Johnson & Wales on January 20, the Gators alternate home and away GNAC contests for the remainder of the slate. The team wraps up its home slate on February 16 against Mount Ida, hosting its annual “Pink Zone” game in raising breast cancer awareness for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) posted her second double-double of the season at first-place Emmanuel last Tuesday. The 5-foot-8 forward totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists against the Saints.

In the Gators season finale on Saturday against Rivier, Wright poured in a game-high 26 points to go along with four more steals and a pair of blocks. In spite of a knee injury that forced her to miss 11 games, Wright finished as the team's second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game and second-leading rebounder with seven boards per game.

Blair Carpenter (Meredith, NH/InterLakes) led the Raiders with 26 points on 6-12 shooting from three-point range, with Jessica Mellen (Rockland, MA/Rockland) posting a double-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds and six steals. Allie Parent (Camden, ME/Camden Hills) matched Mellen, with 15 of her own, while Monica White (Augusta, ME/Cony) rounded out four Raiders in double-figures, with 12.

Rivier (17-8, 8-4 GNAC) stormed out to a 13-4 lead largely in part to four Gators turnovers in the first four minutes, with four Raiders scoring in the first 4:30. Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) and Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) kept the Gators in contention, with Wright posting half of her 26 before halftime and Beauford adding 10 in the first, as Pine Manor went in trailing 44-35.

A Wright jumper at the 16:44 mark of the second got the Gators to within seven, at 50-43, but Rivier responded with back-to-back jumpers by Justine Nims (Weare, NH/John Stark) and Parent to extend its lead to 12. A Wright free throw put Pine Manor back to within nine, at 57-48 at the 12:30 mark, but Carpenter answered with one of her six trifectas, marking the final time Alex Gould’s club got within single digits.

Wright’s 26 points came on a scorching11-14 shooting effort from the floor. The freshman added nine rebounds, fours steals and a pair of blocks.

Amanda Dennis (Haverhill, MA/Whittier Tech) matched her season averages of 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in her collegiate farewell, adding three assists and two steals. The GNAC all-time leading shot blocker will finish her career with 210 rejections. Fellow senior Angeline Capre (Dorchester/Madison Park Tech) concluded her career with three steals, two rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.

Sophomore Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver) added 18 points, and freshman Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) finished a rebound shy of her second double-double in three games with 10 points and nine boards.

Beauford averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals over a pair of games last week, posting a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds on 8-14 shooting on against Johnson & Wales. She tallied 10 points, four assists and four steals at Albertus Magnus on Tuesday, commencing a fine all-around week for the 5-9 freshman.

The Student-Athlete of the Week honor is the second of the season for Beauford, the first coming on January 13, after she led the Gators to victory at Newbury on January 8.

Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) led the Gators with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, adding four steals to the cause. Iman Davis led Emmanuel with a game-best 19 points on 8-12 shooting, adding six assists. Kristin LeBel chipped in with 11 points on 3-5 shooting from distance to go with her four steals for the Saints, who pressured Pine Manor (2-20, 0-10 GNAC) into 41 turnovers.

The Gators stormed out to a 6-0 lead on three-pointers from Michelle Campbell (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) and Angeline Capre (Dorchester, MA/Madison Park Tech). After Emmanuel (17-7, 10-1) tied the contest at 8-8, a Wright layup gave the Gators a 10-8 lead at the 14:28 mark of the first half.

The lead would be the last for the Gators, as the Saints embarked on a 20-4 crusade over the next six minutes. A Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) jumper got the Gators to within 10 at 34-24 in the final 2:00 of the first half, but Emmanuel opened up a 41-24 halftime lead, never to look back.

Amanda Dennis (Haverhill, MA/Whittier Tech), who set a GNAC record with her 199th career block a week earlier, matched Wright's team-high of 10 points, adding a game-high six rejections to her conference record. She now has 207 blocks for her storied career.

Pine Manor honors Dennis and fellow senior Angeline Capre on Senior Day, as the Gators play host to Rivier on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Alexa Ramirez (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) finished with 21 points – 17 in the first half – and nine rebounds for the visiting Wildcats (12-11, 7-3 GNAC), shooting 9-13 for the game and shooting a perfect 3-3 from long-range in the first half. Morgan Wilson (LaGrangeville, NJ/Arlington) chipped in with 14 points, and Johanna Santosuosso (Salem, NH/Salem) and Jeniphr Moxley (Lakewood, WA/Lakes) rounded out four Wildcats in double-figures with 13 each, with Santosuosso adding a game-high seven assists.

For Pine Manor (2-19, 0-10 GNAC), Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) tied Ramirez for game-high honors with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Michelle Campbell (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) added a game-high 12 boards and Angeline Capre (Dorchester, MA/Madison Park Tech) and Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver) finished with 10 points each.

Beauford kept the Gators close early on, posting 10 points in the game’s first nine minutes, at which point Pine Manor trailed 19-14. The Wildcats, though, took control over the last five minutes of the frame, closing the half on a 20-5 run in the final 5:06, a streak that featured three of the team’s five three-pointers of the period. TJ Ciolfi’s club hit 5-11 treys (45.5 percent) and shot 45 percent from the field for the first half, shooting 44.9 percent on the day.

Amanda Dennis (Haverhill, MA/Whittier Tech), who set a new GNAC all-time record for blocked shots on Tuesday, finished with six points, seven rebounds and career block No. 201 in 26 minutes off the bench for Alex Gould’s club, which outrebounded the Wildcats 41-38.

The Gators celebrated “Pink Zone,” a nationwide initiative to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research on behalf of the Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Pine Manor’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council distributed literature on the disease and raised over $220 for Pink Zone, which was celebrated by all 13 GNAC institutions.

Johnson & Wales is in action again on Tuesday at Suffolk, while the Gators visit Emmanuel Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) led all scorers with 19 points on 5-12 shooting and a 9-10 effort at the free throw stripe to go along with eight rebounds. Amanda Dennis (left, Haverhill, MA/Whittier Tech) added nine points, eight boards and a historic five blocks, making her the Great Northeast Athletic Conference career blocks leader and giving her 200 for her storied career.

Down by seven just inside the 8:00 mark of the first half, the Gators rallied to take a one-point lead, 27-26, on a Dennis free throw at the 1:46 mark. The Eagles responded with six straight points in the final 93 seconds to go into halftime leading 32-27.

Dennis scored six of her nine in the opening minutes of the second half, keeping the Gators within striking distance. Her jumper at the 13:11 mark cut what was a nine-point lead down to five, at 41-36. However, an 8-0 Wildcats run over 3:30 ballooned the Gators deficit to 18, 58-40, at the 6:30 juncture.

All five of Dennis' blocks came in the first half, with the record-breaking rejection occurring just inside the 11:00 mark on a Krystal Bryant jumper. Career block No. 200 came at the 1:01 mark in the frame, with Dennis denying a Nikki McClease shot.

McClease finished with a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Bryant added a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards. The Wildcats outrebounded Pine Manor 60-31, 28-10 on the offensive glass.

For the Gators, Michelle Campbell (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) added eight points on 2-2 shooting from downtown and four boards. Stacie Beauford (Baltimore, MD/Old Mill) chipped in, with 10 points and four steals.

Pine Manor is in action again on Saturday, as Johnson & Wales visits Chestnut Hill when the Gators host the annual “Pink Zone” game to raise breast cancer awareness on behalf of the Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Cancer Fund. Tip-off is at noon.

Pine Manor senior Amanda Dennis, with a long-standing reputation of rejecting shots on the hardwood, has now altered the Great Northeast Athletic Conference record book.

On Tuesday at Albertus Magnus, the 6-foot-1 center, who currently leads the GNAC at 2.7 blocks per game, broke the record of LaTeisha Johnson, who tallied 198 rejections at Emmanuel from 2003 to 2007. Dennis (Haverhill, MA/Whittier Tech) finished with nine points, eight rebounds and five blocks in the 72-54 loss, with the fifth block giving her 200 for her storied career.

All five of Dennis' blocks came in the first half, with the record-breaking rejection occurring just inside the 11:00 mark on a Krystal Bryant jumper. Career block No. 200 came at the 1:01 mark in the frame, with Dennis denying a Nikki McClease attempt.

Dennis joined Pine Manor lore on December 11, when she became the school's ninth 1,000-point scorer in a 63-59 win over Wheelock, clutching career rebound No. 600 as the final horn gave the Gators the victory. On Tuesday, in addition to establishing the league blocks record, she also passed Liz Sliney for seventh on Pine Manor’s all-time scoring list, with 1,160 points, and grabbed her 700th career rebound.

The senior pivot has the chance to end her career with over 1,200 points, 700 rebounds, 200 blocks, 100 assists and 100 steals. Dennis and the Gators are in action again on Saturday, as Johnson & Wales visits Chestnut Hill as Pine Manor hosts its “Pink Zone” game to raise breast cancer awareness on behalf of the Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Cancer Fund.