DANBURY, Conn. —
Graci Hawkins (East Hartford, Conn.) led the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team to a 56-49 home-opener victory over the visiting Nichols College Bison on Wednesday. The Wolves improved to 1-1 overall, while the Bison fell to 1-2.
Hawkins opened the first quarter with a solo 11-8 scoring stretch, including back-to-back threes in the first three minutes. The teams traded baskets in the second, but WestConn entered the locker room up, 31-27, despite starting the quarter down by four. The teams tied seven times in the first half as the final knot at 25 apiece was snapped for the final time off a pair of
Shyloh Black's (Hamden, Conn.) free throws at 3:13.
WestConn continued to dominate in the second half with their largest lead of 13 in the fourth off a three-pointer by Black off the assist by
Janaya Prince-Baquero (Cranston, R.I.) with two minutes remaining in regulation.
Fatmata Barrie (Staten Island, N.Y.) opened the first seconds of the third quarter with a jumper in the paint and followed her early bucket with a defensive rebound and another jumper a minute later to give the Wolves an eight-point advantage. In the final minute and a half of the third, Hawkins received the ball from
Kenzi DeJesus (Middle Village, N.Y. ) for a 45-33 lead at the end of the quarter. Straight threes by Dakoda Correia chipped away at the hosts' lead to a manageable six-point deficit, but a seven-point run by the Wolves led to their largest lead at 52-39 with two and a half minutes on the clock.
Hawkins finished the game with 20 points, three rebounds and a steal, while DeJesus posted eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and a trio of steals. WestConn capitalized on points off turnovers with 15, while the Bisons had 12 points. However, the visitors had a slight 7-6 edge on second-chance points. The Wolves also played it closer to the vest with 24 points from inside the paint, but Nichols only had 18.
WestConn hits the road to face Trinity College (Conn.) on Friday with a 6 p.m. tip-off in Hartford.
