Strong second half propels Blazers past Wildcats

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Wheelock College(3-11, 2-3 NECC) trailed by only five at the half, but Elms College (6-10, 5-2 NECC) came out on fire in the second half to walk away with a 73-53 win Tuesday night at Pine Manor College. Wheelock was led by freshman Keneisha Milton (Boston, Mass.), who pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds and senior Sarah Brown (Plainville, Conn.), who scored 18 points on the night. (Right: Keneisha Milton.)

Elms had three players in double-digits, with Jen Normandie going 6-13(Westford, Mass.)  from the floor to lead the Blazers with 15 points. Teammate Carolyn Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass.) netted 14 points, eight assists, and four steals, while sophomore Katie Condon (Sandy Hook, Conn.) knocked down 11 points.

The first half included two ties and four lead changes, and the Wildcats led by as many as five when Brown nailed a triple at the 15:00 minute mark. Elms tied the game on the next possession when Condon drained a three-pointer, and the Blazers used an 11-6 run to close out the half and take to the locker room with the five point advantage.

Head coach Laura Habacker’s team opened up the second half with an 18-6 run, leading 57-41 on a layup by Jen Normandie. That was as close as the Wildcats would get for the rest of the game. Elms took advantage of a strong inside game, outscoring Wheelock 40-26 in the paint, and received solid bench support, with 29 points coming off of the pine in the win.

Wheelock next travels to Southern Vermont on Thursday for a 7:00 pm conference game, while Elms travels to Lesley University for an 8:00 pm tip-off on the same night.