LEICESTER, Mass. -- Becker College defeated Lesley University 70-34 in New England Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Leicester Gymnasium. The win lifts the Hawks – winners of three of their last four – to 6-15 overall and 5-9 in the NECC while the Lynx fall to 1-19 on the season and 0-14 in the conference.
The hosts shot 43% (28-of-65) on the afternoon, including hitting 33% (5-of-15) from beyond the arc, while holding Lesley to just 24% (14-of-58) on their shot attempts. The Hawks also held a 52-36 edge in rebounds and a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Becker freshman Avrie Bassingthwaite (Swanzey, N.H.) came off the bench to score a team-high 11 points. Classmate Adrianna Dowdy (East Haven, Conn.) earned a double-double with ten points and ten boards. Kencia Calice (Randolph, Mass.) finished with nine points, while Ciara McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) dished out a game-high six assists.
Lesley junior Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) led all scorers with 12 points to go with four rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists. Senior Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.) chipped in with seven points, two boards, and three steals while Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) added six points and four assists.
The Hawks never trailed as they scored the first 11 points over the first 4:22 of the opening quarter. Lesley quickly cut the gap to five, 13-8, as a pair of Goggin triples sparked an 8-5 spurt for the guests over the remainder of the quarter.
Becker pushed the lead back to double-digits after a 9-2 streak to open the second before heading into halftime with a 30-15 advantage.
The Hawks continued to press on after the break and hit 47% from the field in the second half, building a lead by as many as 41 points to earn the season sweep of the Lynx.
Lesley returns to action on Tuesday, February 9th with a road game at Green Mountain College beginning at 5:30p Becker will continue NECC action on Wednesday, February 10th when they welcome Regis College for a 7:00p tip.