Box Score PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) scored 11 of her career-high 27 points to lead an 19-6 run over the final nine minutes as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team pulled away for a 59-38 Little East Conference victory over Plymouth State University Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.
At right: Jill Ritrosky
A winner of four straight and five of six, Eastern (8-3, 2-0 Little East) is the only 2-0 team in the conference (UMass Dartmouth is 1-0). Plymouth (0-9, 0-2 Little East) had lost its previous four games by a total of only 17 points.
Leading by eight points, 40-32, Eastern outscored the Panthers 19-6 the rest of the way, getting 11 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot from Ritrosky, who scored eight of the team's last ten points and had all of her free throws (7) and attempts (10) in those final nine minutes. On 15 possessions in that span, Plymouth was 2-for-11 from the floor with two free throws and three turnovers.
Ritrosky was 10-for-16 from the floor in the game en route to her game-high point total and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to give her three double-doubles in her last four games. She is averaging 16.8 rebounds in those games.
Eastern moved out to a 7-2 lead after Plymouth scored the first basket of the game, and pushed its lead to double digits, 22-11 with three minutes left in the first half. The Panthers cut the lead to five, 22-17 at the half before the Warriors later regained a double-figure lead, 33-22, with 14 minutes left. Plymouth sliced three points off that lead and trailed by eight prior to Eastern's final 19-6 run.
In the second half, Ritrosky had19 points and seven rebounds, with freshman guard
Jordyn Nappi (Southington) adding ten of her game total of 12 points as the pair combined for 29 of the team's 37 points over the final 20 minutes. Sophomore post
Erin Brooks (Billerica, MA) totaled nine points and four rebounds in the game.
The Warriors outrebounded Plymouth, 41-24 in the game and outshot Plymouth 46.8 percent to 29.8. No Plymouth player managed more than four field goals or four rebounds. Sophomore guard Taylor Perry led the hosts with 15 points, seven of her points coming from the foul line.
Of the Warriors' three losses to date, two are to nationally-ranked and undefeated Amherst College and Williams College and one to Hartwick College, which is 7-2 with one of its losses to nationally-ranked and undefeated Tufts University.
Eastern hosts the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Wednesday at 6 p.m.
