Box Score BOSTON -- Eastern Connecticut State University junior guard Jordyn Nappi's (Southington) three-point field goal with four minutes left was the 18th and final lead change of the game and powered the Warriors to a 64-56 Little East Conference women's basketball victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston and secured their outright regular-season title Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.
After sharing last year's LEC regular-season title, Eastern (19-6, 11-3 LEC) gains its first outright title in seven years with its seventh straight victory over UMass Boston (14-11, 6-8 LEC).
The defending LEC tournament champion and top-seeded Warriors host No. 8 Plymouth State University (6-19, 0-14 LEC) Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the first round of the tournament. UMass Boston finishes sixth and visits No. 3 seed Western Connecticut Tuesday.
The Warriors trailed by three with five minutes left before senior forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) canned a pair of free throws to make it a one-point UMB lead. Ritrosky that followed on the other end with a rebound and Nappi swished her fourth three-pointer of the game moments later to vault Eastern into the lead for good, 50-48.
Leading by three with 2:25 left, Eastern limited the Beacons to one three-point field goal over the next two minutes, outscoring UMB, 7-3, to take a seven-point lead into the final 30 seconds. Nappi sank three free throws in that stretch, Ritrosky putting in an inside bucket and senior guard Victoria Pfohl (Trumbull) contributing her only basket with a perimeter jumper. Brooks improved her conference-leading field goal percentage to 59.5 after going 7-of-11 from the floor.
Behind junior guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield) and Nappi, Eastern equaled its season-high with nine three-point field goals. DePoi was 5-of-8 and Nappi 4-of-8 from long range, with UMB missing ten of 13. Nappi led all players with 21 points, giving her back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this year. DePoi had 18 points and eight rebounds, senior forward Erin Brooks (Billerica, MA) 14 points and six rebounds and Ritrosky nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Grace Geary of UMass led both teams with 22 points and five assists and senior forward Olivia Murphy topped all players with 12 rebounds.
If Eastern advances through the first round, it will host the LEC Final Four beginning Friday.
