Nashua, NH – Junior guard Sarah Paternostro (Glastonbury, Conn.) notched a double double of 10 points and dished out 11 assists including 10 in the first half – the highest single game total at DWC since 1996 and the second highest game total in program history – while adding five boards guiding a balanced Daniel Webster College attack as the host Eagles downed New England College, 75-58 in a matchup of longtime intrastate rivals Thursday night at the Mario Vagge Gymnasium.
Junior guard Vanessa Bosques (N. Windham, Conn.) led five Eagles in double figures with 15 points as DWC (4-2) won its third straight.
The Eagles never trailed in building a 40-19 lead at the half and used superior size to overwhelm the Pilgrims (5-5) under the hoop, pulling down 52 rebounds to 34 for the visitors including a 19-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
Junior Alycia Gervais (Windham, Conn.) notched 12 points and eight boards for the winners, while Alyssa Regan (Salem, N.H.) added 12 points and a team high nine boards. Senior Tonisha Tate (Lynn, Mass.) notched 12 points off the bench.
DWC survived a remarkable individual performance from NEC junior forward Rachel Williams (Chapel Hill, N.C.) who led all scorers with a double double of 29 points and 11 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists.
Stephanie Parker (Wilder, Vt.) and Kate Levy (Woods Hole, Mass.) added eight points apiece for the Pilgrims.
Kirsten Murphy (Woodstock, Conn.) chipped in with seven points off the bench for the Eagles.
DWC took control early, racing out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes and were aided by cold Pilgrim shooting as the Pilgrims managed just 26-percent from the floor in the opening frame.
Two at the line from Williams closed the gap to eight (27-19) with 5:48 left but DWC closed with 13-0 run for the 21-point lead at the half.
The lead would jump to as high as 26 (49-23) with 17:00 left after a Gervais layup before NEC began to slowly chip into the lead and would whittle it down to 13 (66-53) with 4:19 left after a trey from Parker, a Levy layup and a Levy make at the line.
But a three from the top of the circle from Paternostro answered the mini rally and a Gervais put back of her own miss helped push the lead back to 18 with 2:26 left.
The Eagles would also finish with important point differentials in the paint (40-34) and off the bench (23-3).
DWC closes its first semester as it renews its annual intracity rivalry with Rivier College on Saturday. The game tips off at Rivier's Muldoon Center at 1:00 p.m.
New England College hosts Lyndon State on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in a meeting of future North Atlantic Conference foes.