Box Score KEENE, N.H. -- Sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) and freshman guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington) combined for 30 points on 17-of-27 shooting from the floor as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team pulled away for a 78-69 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College Tuesday evening at Spaulding Gymnasium.
At right: Jordyn Nappi
With three Little East regular-season games remaining, Eastern (16-6, 8-3 Little East) remains in second place in the conference, two games behind leader Rhode Island College, which downed visiting Western Connecticut, 65-56, Tuesday. The win is the fourth straight and 12th in the last 15 games for Eastern, which completed the home-and-one sweep of Keene (11-11, 3-8 Little East) for the second straight year and won for the 14th time in the last 16 meetings with the Owls.
The Warriors trailed by one at halftime but shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half. With Eastern leading by one, Nappi sank a three-point field goal and Ritrosky completed a conventional three-point play with a free throw that allowed Eastern to open up a seven-point, 48-41 lead seven minutes into the half. Eastern never led by less than five thereafter, and moved out to its first double-digit lead, 55-45, on a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Brianna Leonard (Amherst, MA).
In addition to shooting better than 50 percent from the floor (52.2) for the fourth straight game (all wins) and eighth time in its last 11 outings, Eastern converted 25 of 31 free throws. Nappi was 7-of-8 from the stripe, Ritrosky 6-of-8 and Leonard 4-of-5.
Ritrosky posted her 11th double-double with game-highs of 26 points and ten rebounds and added four assists. She was 10-of-13 from the floor. Nappi followed with 24 points, scoring nine points on three-point field goals. Leonard played 33 minutes off the bench, chipping in ten points and six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Cognetta led Keene with 18 points, junior swingman Christan Wojtas adding 14 points and freshman swingman Stephanie D'Annolfo 13. Keene has lost four straight and eight of 11.
Eastern hosts Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday at 1 p.m.
