DANBURY, Conn. – The ninth-seeded Plymouth State University women's basketball team fell to eighth-seeded Western Connecticut State University, 55-47, in a Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament Play-In game at Stephen Feldman Arena on Monday afternoon.
WestConn advances to face top-seeded Rhode Island College in the tournament quarterfinals, while the Panthers' season comes to a close. PSU outlasted WestConn in overtime at home just three days ago, but WCSU used its home court advantage to get past Plymouth State and advance.
Junior
Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) led all scorers with 22 points, while classmate
Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H.) scored eight points. Junior
Alessia Salzillo (Saugus, Mass.) added seven points in the losing effort.
Plymouth State is expected to return its entire roster next winter as the team did not have any seniors at the end of the year.
PSU ends the season with a 2-20 mark, while WestConn improves to 8-17.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 47, WestConn 55
- Plymouth State (2-20)
- WestConn (8-17)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- WestConn kicked off the contest with an early 6-0 advantage, but the Panthers used a 7-1 run to tie the game midway through the first.
- The hosts scored the final seven points of the frame to lead 14-7 after one.
- WestConn extended its advantage to 12, 19-7, three minutes into the second, but PSU rallied to trim the margin to 19-13 with 3:06 remaining in the half.
- The home squad pushed the lead to double digits, 27-17, heading into halftime.
- Plymouth State came out firing in the third quarter, using a 14-2 run to even the score at 31-31 at the 4:09 mark.
- PSU outscored WestConn 21-10 in the frame to hold a one-point edge, 38-37, heading into the final quarter.
- The hosts used an 11-3 spurt to open the fourth and take a 48-41 lead with 4:40 remaining.
- Nelson and Cook hit on back-to-back possessions to get as close as 48-45 with less than three minutes to play, but WestConn hit its free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State went 19-of-52 (36.5%) from the floor and 5-of-14 (35.7%) from distance.
- WestConn held a 39-30 edge in rebounds, including 13-7 on the offensive glass.
- WestConn was able to get to the free throw line 30 times, while the Panthers took just five.
- PSU's last lead came at the start of the fourth quarter.
- The Panthers' bench outscored WestConn by an 18-16 margin.
- Plymouth State's defense came away with 13 steals.
- Cook's 22 points was the highest individual scoring total since she poured in 24 against UMass Boston over a month ago.
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