Women's Hoops Falls to Amherst in NCAA Opening Round

AMHERST, Mass. - The Regis (Mass.) women's basketball team saw its season come to an end on Friday evening, falling to #1 Amherst College in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament 65-37.

With the loss, the Pride's season ends with a final record of 22-7. The top-ranked Purple and White improves to a perfect 28-0 and advances to the Second Round, where it will play the University of Mary Washington on Saturday night.

The first quarter was all Amherst, until junior Shannon Hayes (Billerica, Mass.) broke the Pride's lengthy scoreless drought in the final minute of the first quarter, ending Amherst's game-opening run at 17-0. The basket was the Pride's only score of the period, as the team shot just 1-for-10 and turned the ball over eight times in the opening period. The team got the ball rolling better in the second quarter scoring 11 points in the period, but the Pride trailed 44-13 at the half.

The Pride battled back in the second half, opening the period on an 8-0 run. The team would go on to outscore the home side 12-5 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 49-25 after three. Junior Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.), the team's leading scorer during the season, and who was held scoreless in the opening half, led the Pride with five points in the quarter.

The Pride continued to battle in the fourth quarter, but couldn't overcome the large deficit the Purple and White had built up in the opening 20. Amherst outscored Regis 16-12 in the fourth to close out the 65-37 final. Sophomore Sam D'Angelo (Woburn, Mass.) scored a team-high four points in the half, capping her night with a team-high nine points in the defeat. Stone pulled down nine boards to go along with her six points to lead the Pride on the defensive end of the floor. Amherst's Maeve McNamara (Arlington, Mass.) scored 11 points off the bench to lead all scorers on the evening.