Women’s Basketball Snatches Narrow Victory In ECC Opener

By Jada Butler & Nicholas Mattina
News Editor & Contributing Writer

The women’s basketball team faced the University of Bridgeport in the first game of the East Coast Conference (ECC) on Wednesday, Dec. 6. After a long off season tour, they returned to their home court to clinch a 68-61 victory.

The Pioneers are coming from 4-4 in the last eight games of the off-season. “The biggest change we need to work on is our start, we always start games slow,” Mikaiya Moore, sophomore forward, said before the Dec. 6 game. “We need start upbeat, have high energy and that will keep the pace of the game. Start well, finish well.”

The Pioneers started strong, jumping to a 9-2 lead five minutes into the contest. Bridgeport answered back with a 12-6 run to cut its deficit to one (15-14), but the Pioneers secured a 30-26 lead into the break.

Halfway through the third frame, the Pioneers took a ten point lead over Bridgeport (42-32), but the Bridgeport came back with a 10-2 tally to pull within two (44-42).

Towards the end of the second half, Bridgeport once again pulled within a basket of the Pioneers (63-61), with 1:08 to play. In the final minute of the game, the Pioneers pulled ahead to score the 68-61 victory.

Moore tallied a team-best 17 points and went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe. Shannon Doyle, junior and guard, went for 14 points and two rebounds, and Dominique Williams, sophomore guard, scored nine points.

The Pioneers will continue on to game two of the conference on Saturday, Dec. 9 when they take on Mercy College away at 12 p.m.