Salzillo, Hill lead the way for the Panthers 

            HENNIKER, N.H. – Freshman Alessia Salzillo (Saugus, Mass.) and senior Chenysse Hill (Lynn, Mass.) combined for 16 points, but New England College scored 20+ points in each quarter on the way to a 91-38 win over Plymouth State University in a non-conference women's basketball game at Bridges Gym on Thursday night.

            Plymouth State got out to an early lead, but NEC used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to pull away and the Pilgrims never looked back.

            Plymouth State falls for the third straight time to dip to 3-4, while NEC improves to 5-3.

            The Basics:

            Plymouth State 38, NEC 91

            Plymouth State (3-4)

            NEC (5-3)

            How it Happened.

• Salzillo and Hill combined to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead after the first 3:19, and Hill's jumper made it 6-2 shortly thereafter.
• The Pilgrims rallied with the next ten points to take the lead , 12-6, with 3:48 left in the frame.
• The hosts extended the lead to 20-7, but Salzillo sank a pair from the charity stripe to make it a 20-9 game at the end of the first quarter.
• The teams traded baskets early in the second quarter, but then NEC started to pull away behind a 14-2 surge.
• Plymouth State followed with five straight points, all from the free throw line, but the Pilgrims answered with the final nine points of the quarter for a 45-18 halftime advantage.
• NEC continued the offensive onslaught throughout the second half, outscoring the Panthers by a 46-20 margin over the final 20 minutes.

            Inside the Numbers:

• Hill finished with eight points, four rebounds and three steals, while Salzillo added eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Hill and freshmen Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) and Skyler Crayton (Lynn, Mass.) led the Panthers with four rebounds apiece.
• NEC got a game-high 22 points from senior Rene Hudson (Gallatin, Tenn.), who finished 6-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from long range.
• NEC held a 49-23 advantage on the boards.

            Up Next:

• Plymouth State wraps up the fall semester with its Little East Conference opener against Rhode Island College at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday (Dec. 7) at 1:00 p.m.

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