WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – After getting back into the win column before Thanksgiving Break against Western New England University, Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball returned home on Sunday to face off against Connecticut College in Geissler Gymnasium. Coming into the game, the Warriors (3-3) had defeated the Camels (1-5) in their previous two matchups and would make it three in a row with a 57-40 victory after holding Connecticut College to just 18 points in the second half.

Eastern would go ahead early on a basket by senior guard Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell) before the Camels would respond with a three-pointer from junior guard Jaycie Rojik to go ahead 3-2 with 8:28 remaining which would be the only time they would lead the game. A pair of Serrantino free throws just 27 seconds later would put the Warriors back in front and they would never look back. Conn College would pull within one again after a layup by senior guard Emily Tripp made it 8-7, but Eastern would respond with a quick 8-2 spurt to regain control. Capping off a nine-point first quarter, senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) led the Warriors to a 19-13 lead after one quarter of play.
 

A quick start to the second quarter would see Eastern take their first double-digit lead of afternoon when junior guard Martha Chatman (Meriden) converted on back-to-back layups to give the Warriors a 10-point advantage with 8:37 remaining in the half. The Camels would respond with a 7-0 run off of a three by sophomore guard Aislinn McMahon along with layups from Rojik and senior forward Emily O'Sullivan to trim the deficit down to just three. However, Eastern would dial up the offense over the last three-plus minutes to put themselves ahead by seven, 29-22, heading into the locker room.

The story of the third would be the offensive display by senior guard Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA) who is primarily known for her three-point shooting. On this day, O'Brien would find success in the paint to score seven third quarter points, all in the paint and off of free throws, on her way to a season-high of 10 points in the game. The Massachusetts native would also finish with five rebounds, her most in a single game since the 2019-2020 season when she collected seven against Messiah in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

O'Brien would finish the game shooting 3-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from the free throw line, and tack on two assists and a steal in her best game of the young season. The guard's scoring run in the third would help the Warriors keep pace with Conn College's balanced offensive attack throughout the quarter and keep them in front by 10 with one quarter to play.

An 8-0 run to kick off the fourth would give Eastern their largest lead of the game with 5:09 remaining after senior forward Anna Barry (Andover) hit the backend of her two free throws to put her team ahead by 18, 52-34. Outscoring the Camels 13-6 in the fourth and 28-18 in the second half, the Warriors emerged victorious in their second straight game of the season and third straight in the head-to-head series versus Conn College, 57-40.

Anna Barry finished with a season-high 33 minutes played while scoring nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, collecting a season-high 11 rebounds and recording a season-high five assists. Barry also finished with two blocks and two steals on the afternoon.

Julie Keckler and Jenna Serrantino both finished with double-digit point totals for the fourth time this season as Keckler finished the game with 13 points to extend her double-digit scoring streak to six consecutive games while Serrantino finished with 11 points. Eastern is 2-2 so far this year when the starting guard duo both record double-digit point totals in a game.

The Warriors will play the second game of their four-game homestand this Thursday, December 2^nd against Smith College in Geissler Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 PM. Eastern is 2-0 all-time against the Pioneers with their last matchup coming over 30 years ago during the 1983-1984 season on the road in which they came away with a 65-59 victory. The only home game versus Smith College came a year earlier during the 1982-1983 season when the Warriors won 52-50 in the first-ever matchup between the two schools.