Box Score Conant, Hill with big games for Panthers
DANBURY, Conn. – Senior Jess Conant (Canton, Maine) scored 17 points and junior Chenysse Hill (Lynn, Mass.) matched a season-high with 12, but Plymouth State University fell at Western Connecticut State University, 73-55, in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's basketball game at Feldman Arena on Saturday afternoon.
PSU held a 21-17 lead after the first quarter, but WestConn, sparked by senior Jancy Sherwood (Poughquag, N.Y.) outscored the Panthers by a 21-7 margin in the second. The Colonials shot nearly 60% for the frame and drained four three-pointers, including three from Sherwood, while Plymouth State struggled from the floor.
The Panthers kept pace during the second half, and pulled to within 10 points, 63-53, with 7:22 to play, but the hosts responded with a 10-2 spurt to close out the game.
Plymouth State dips to 6-9 overall and 1-7 in the LEC, while WestConn stops a three-game skid to improve to 6-8 and 1-5 in league play.
The Final Score:
Plymouth State 55, WestConn 73
Records:
Plymouth State (6-9, 1-7 LEC)
WestConn (6-8, 1-5 LEC)
How it Happened:
* Plymouth State got off to a slow start as the hosts scored the game's first six points and led 9-2 after three minutes of action.
* The Panthers turned it on from there, shooting a steamy 69% (9-of-13) through the remainder of the quarter to build the lead.
* PSU used a 7-0 spurt to tie the game at 9-9 and freshman Maysen Tyler (Bridge City, Texas) gave the Panthers their first lead, 13-11, with 4:41 left in the frame.
* Conant's layup gave PSU a six point advantage, 21-15, with 1:12 to go, but the Colonials cut the deficit to 21-17 as the quarter expired.
* The WestConn defense limited the Panthers in the second quarter and Sherwood got hot from long range. Conant and senior Cassidy Emerson (Concord, N.H.) hit to give Plymouth a 25-20 lead with 7:39 left in the half, but the Colonials would hold PSU scoreless for nearly seven minutes during an 18-0 run.
* Freshman Jeylly Medrano (Lynn, Mass.) stopped the run with an old-fashioned three-point play to make it a 38-28 game at the half.
* Junior Genesis Torres (Stratford, Conn.) drained three triples in the first two minutes of the third quarter to extend the WestConn advantage.
* Plymouth State opened the fourth quarter with a 10-4 spurt, with Conant and Hill each hitting twice, as the Panthers cut the margin to 63-53 with 7:22 to go, but Torres stopped the streak with a pair from the charity stripe and moments later Sherwood buried another three as WestConn regained control.
Inside the Numbers:
* Conant led the Panthers with 17 points and added a career-high seven steals, while Hill went 6-of-7 from the field to finish with 12 points.
* Emerson chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds and four steals, while sophomore Elizabeth McLaughlin (Melvin Village, N.H.) and junior Brittany Roche (Londonderry, N.H.) each added six points.
* Torres led all players with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Sherwood sank four three-pointers to finish with 16.
* Both teams finished 25-of-52 (48.1%) from the floor, but WestConn sank nine trifectas while the Panthers went 0-for-6 from distance.
* WestConn owned a sizeable advantage at the free throw line, making 14-of-24 attempts, while PSU hit all five of its free throws.
* The teams each pulled down 30 rebounds, and PSU held a 40-28 advantage on points in the paint.
Straight from the Coach's Mouth:
"We gave them too many points off of turnovers," said head coach Allison Flynn. "We need to get back to five of us playing together at the same time."
Up Next:
* Plymouth State gets a brief respite from conference play as the Panthers travel to Northern Vermont University-Johnson on Tuesday (Jan. 15) for a 7:30 p.m. game.
* WestConn hosts Keene State College in a league contest on Wednesday (Jan. 16) at 5:30 p.m.
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