Women Drop Season Opener to Daniel Webster

Nashua, NH – Tied at 32 at the half, the Daniel Webster women's basketball team shot 50-percent in the second half and pulled away down the stretch to post a 72-57 victory over the Lasers in the team's season opener Thursday night at Mario Vagge Gymnasium.

 Taevosha Rentas (Springfield, Mass.) paced the Lasers with 12 points, six boards and three assists, while Alexis Chappell (Springfield) added 10 points.

 Kim Archibald (Lewiston, Maine) added nine points and a team high nine boards (five offensive) along with two assists, two blocks and two steals for Lasell while Danielle Autencio (Montville, Conn.) added eight points and five boards.

The Eagles ultimately won the game at the line as both teams finished close in rebounds (39-38 DWC), shooting, three-pointers, steals and turnovers. DWC finished 18-21 at the stripe, while Lasell struggled, hitting just 6 of 15.

The teams forged three ties and traded leads five times over the opening six minutes of the second half and Lasell led 44-43 with 14:27 left after a JoAnna Bishop (South Burlington, Vt.) 10-footer. 

But the Eagles took over inside, burying two layups and drew two fouls to sink four at the line for a 51-44 edge with 12:15 to go.

 Layups from Rentas and Autencio pulled the Lasers back to within three (51-48) with 11:19 to go but two inside from Murphy and two more at the line from DWC pushed the lead to 57-48, DWC's largest with 9:49 left.

 Another Rentas jumper halted the bleeding with 6:22 to go for a 59-52 game, but the Eagle defense stiffened, limiting Lasell to just three points over the next 5:08 as the host's lead ballooned to 15 (70-55) with just under two minutes to go.

Lasell shot a solid 45-percent in the opening frame while DWC hit 39-percent but the Eagles stayed close going 9 for 9 at the line.

 The women will travel to Wheaton on Saturday for the first round  of the Wheaton Tip-Off beginning at 2:00 p.m.