DANBURY, Conn. – For six-foot senior Anna Barry (Andover), it might well have proven to be the pause that refreshes.
Behind a career-high 26 points and career-tying 16 rebounds from Barry, the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team emerged from a four-game losing funk by limiting Western Connecticut State University to single digits in all but the final quarter in easing to a 55-39 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at Feldman Arena.
With both teams having lost four straight since double-digit LEC wins over Plymouth State University, it was Eastern (7-8, 4-2 LEC) which regained a winning edge by downing Western (6-7, 1-3 LEC) for the seventh straight time and 15th time in the last 16 contests in the series.
Although it had lost six of its last seven against Eastern, scoring had not been an issue for WestConn, which had averaged 74 points a game in that stretch. Wednesday, Eastern held Western to its lowest point total in the last 43 games in the series – since the Warriors' 68-37 victory in 2002-03.
In her last two games since returning from a three-game hiatus, Barry has averaged 23.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots on 16-of-24 shooting from the floor and 15-of-18 marksmanship from the stripe. Against WestConn, Barry blocked four shots – the 18th time in her career of at least that many. Already the program's all-time leader (by a wide margin) in blocks per game, Barry moved ahead of former All-America Ashley McFetridge (2005-09) and into second place all-time with 161 blocked shots – 13 behind Lexis Foster (2013-17) for the top spot.
In Monday's LEC game at Massachusetts Dartmouth, Barry's first double-double since Dec. 4 of 21 points and 13 rebounds (both game-highs) was not enough to prevent a 51-49 loss to the Corsairs.
On Wednesday, Barry's second double-double in three nights was more than enough to help Eastern even its record on its opponent's court at 3-3 and remain within 2 ½ games of conference leader Rhode Island College, which downed UMass Dartmouth, 73-59, Wednesday night to remain beaten (7-0) in the conference.
The third-quarter collapse which negated a 15-point first-quarter lead in the stunning loss at UMass Dartmouth failed to materialize against WestConn, which managed only four first-quarter points (the same as UMass Monday night) thanks to 2-of-15 shooting from the floor and six turnovers over the first ten minutes.
While WestConn was struggling in the first quarter, Eastern connected on 8-of-17 shots and scored six points off turnovers on the strength of two steals each by Barry and senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) and another from senior guard Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell).
The teams played to a 35-35 stalemate after the first quarter but the early damage was done, with WestConn unable to recover. After shooting a miserable 13.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter, WestConn outdid itself in the second, missing 12 of 13 attempts from the floor (7.7 perecent) and found itself in a 20-point hole (30-10) at the half.
Fourteen of WestConn's points came on 18 free-throw attempts in the game. Eastern shot just 38.6 percent from the floor – in large part due to a 3-of-15 performance behind the arc -- and capitalized on the few free throw attempts it was award, converting eight of nine.
Barry was Eastern's only double-digit scorer or rebounder, but senior guard Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA) and first-year guard Kya Mayo (Middletown) – the latter starting her second straight game after also missing three straight – combined for 11 rebounds to give Eastern a +5 rebounding advantage.
Eastern plays the third of four straight LEC road contests Saturday at Massachusetts Boston at 1 p.m.