MARRO NETS 1,000TH POINT, PRIDE ADVANCE TO NECC CHAMPIONSHIP

WESTON, Mass. – Top-seeded Regis College advanced to its second-straight New England Collegiate Conference Championship game with a 74-50 victory over No. 4 Becker College on Friday night in an NECC Women's Basketball Semifinal matchup in Weston, Mass.

The Pride (22-4) will have a chance to defend its 2013 crown against No. 2 Elms College, who defeated third-seeded Mitchell College, 63-60, in the other Semifinal matchup on Friday. Saturday's 2:00 p.m. Championship game is a rematch of the 2013 title game, a 59-33 victory for the Pride.

Junior captain Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) became the 14th member of the Regis College 1,000 point club with a three-pointer in the second half against the Hawks. Marro becomes the second player this season to reach the 1,000 point plateau after Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) accomplished the feat in the first semester.

At the 3:08 mark of the second half, Marro needed only three points for 1,000 in her career. She received a pass at the top of the key, and after a few dribbles, pulled up from three, nailing the triple and shooting herself into the record books.

In the first half against Becker (11-16), Marro scored on the fastbreak to give the Pride an early 10-6 lead, and Claire Ramonas later gave the Pride a 12-9 advantage with 14:14 to play. Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) answered for Becker with a triple and a Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, Mass.) bucket on the next possession put the Hawks on top 14-12. Another Mojica jumper capped a 7-0 run by the visitors to give Becker the 16-12 lead and force a Regis timeout.

A Marro freethrow ended the run, but Brooke Martel (Griswold, Conn.) converted on a baseline jumper to give BC their largest lead of the half at 18-13 with just over 10 minutes to play. Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.) quickly erased the deficit with a pair of freethrows and a three pointer, and Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) buried a jumper at the top of the key to put Regis back on top 20-18. The 7-0 run turned into a 13-0 run as Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) hit a jumper in the paint and Marro scored four-straight to give the Pride a 26-18 lead with 4:34 to play.

Mojica converted two freethrows to halt the streak, but Bradley buried a three to keep it a nine point game, and then connected on another three to put the Pride on top by 10 with 2:49 remaining. Busiek made it three-straight threes just over a minute later and a Marro freethrow in the final minute gave Regis their largest lead of the half at 36-24. Becker scored a pair of baskets in the final 47 seconds, including a Martel jumper with 11 seconds remaining, to enter the break trailing 36-28.

The Pride opened the second half with a 14-3 run that gave Regis a commanding 51-31 lead with 12:49 to play. Five different players scored during the run with three points apiece coming from Taylor Bunkley (Carmel, N.Y.), Alyssa Vieira-Lanpher (Princeton, Mass.), Bradley, and Marro.

Becker's Melissa Rhodes (Mendon, Mass.) cut the Pride lead to 51-33 with a jumper, but the Pride continued their torrid pace, as a Bianca Batallas (Baldwinville, Mass.) layup followed by a Bradley jumper gave Regis a 26 point advantage at 59-33 with 8:46 remaining. Becker would only get as close as 24 the rest of the way as the Pride cruised to its second-straight NECC Championship game with the 74-50 win.

Regis won the rebounding battle 45-42 and committed only 14 turnovers to 24 for the Hawks. The Pride turned those into 27 points off turnovers, and held a 28-12 advantage in points in the paint. Regis shot 24-of-62 (38.7%) from the field, and hit 6-of-18 three pointers. The Hawks were 17-of-56 (30.4%) from the floor, and hit only 3-of-14 triples.

Marro finished with a game-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Janaya Bradley joined her in double-digits with 17 points, adding a team-high five assists and three blocks, and five rebounds. Amanda Hawkesworth finished the game with seven points and 10 rebounds, while Claire Ramonas had eight points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Tatiana Mojica led the way for Becker with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Martel chipped in 12 points and six boards, while Haley Oooms finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Melissa Rhodes added six points and four rebounds in the setback.