AMCATS Fly to 59-49 Victory over Hawks
PAXTON, Mass. --- The Anna Maria College women's basketball team opened their 2016-2017 season with a 59-49 victory over the Hawks of Becker College on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore guard Ciara McKissick (Charlton, Mass. / Shepherd Hill Regional) led Becker with 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Freshman guard Mariah Triplett (Coral Springs, Fla. / Piper) came off the bench to shoot four-of-eight from behind the arc, while sophomore forward Adrianna Dowdy (East Haven, Conn. / Hill Regional Career) added five points, seven rebounds and two steals.
FIRST HALF:
In the second quarter, the Hawks hit two quick baskets with freshman guard Cassidy Harrison (Foxborough, Mass. / Foxborough) giving Becker their first lead of the game at 19-17 with 8:44 remaining in the first half. The teams spent the rest of the quarter trading baskets, finally going into halftime tied 32-32. Both teams were reliant on three-point shooting in the first half with Becker going 6-for-17 from behind the arc and Anna Maria shooting 7-for-16. Triplett led all scorers at the break with 12 points, all coming off three-pointers.
SECOND HALF:
In the fourth, Anna Maria burst out with a 17-5 run, retaking the lead off of a three pointer from Mareiro with 6:18 left in the game and never looking back. Four turnovers in the first five minutes plagued Becker, as the AMCATS fed off the energy of a reinvigorated home crowd. Down 53-46 with 2:48 left, Becker called a timeout. Becker pulled to within four off a free throw from freshman guard Kelsey Maynard (Millville, Mass. / Tri-County Vocational), but back-to-back threes from Anna Maria put the hosts up by ten with 24.8 seconds left, finally putting the game out of reach.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Becker College will be back on the court on Friday when they travel to Worcester State University to play in the 2016 Worcester City Tournament. The Hawks will play cross-town rival WPI at 8:00 p.m.