DANBURY, Conn. – For six-foot senior Anna Barry (Andover), it might well have been the pause that refreshes.
 
Behind a career-high 26 points and career-tying 16 rebounds from Barry in her second game back after sitting out three in a row, the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team emerged from a four-game losing funk by limiting Western Connecticut State University to single digits in all but the final quarter in easing to a 55-39 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at Feldman Arena.
 
With both teams having lost four straight since double-digit LEC wins over Plymouth State University -- and WestConn coming off a two-week layoff -- it was Eastern (7-8, 4-2 LEC) which regained a winning edge by downing Western (6-7, 1-3 LEC) for the seventh straight time and 15^th time in the last 16 contests in the series.
 
Although it had lost six of its last seven against Eastern, scoring had not been an issue for WestConn, which had averaged 74 points a game in that stretch. Wednesday, Eastern held Western to its lowest point total in the last 43 games in the series – since the Warriors' 68-37 victory in 2002-03.
 
In her last two games since returning from a three-game hiatus, Barry has averaged 23.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots on 16-of-24 shooting from the floor and 15-of-18 marksmanship from the stripe. Against WestConn, Barry blocked four shots – the 18^th time in her career totalling at least that many. Already the program's all-time leader (by a wide margin) in blocks per game, Barry moved ahead of former All-America Ashley McFetridge (2005-09) and into second place all-time with 161 blocked shots – 13 behind career leader Lexis Foster (2013-17).
 
In Monday's LEC game at Massachusetts Dartmouth, Barry's first double-double since Dec. 4 of 21 points and 13 rebounds (both game-highs) was not enough to prevent a 51-49 loss to the Corsairs.
 
On Wednesday, Barry's second double-double in three nights was more than enough – and crucial -- to help Eastern even its record on its opponent's court at 3-3 this year and remain within 2 ½ games of conference leader Rhode Island College, which downed UMass Dartmouth, 73-59, Wednesday night to remain beaten (7-0) in the conference.
 
The third-quarter collapse which negated a 15-point first-quarter lead in the stunning loss at UMass Dartmouth – where Eastern had several chances to win it in the final seconds -- failed to materialize against WestConn, which managed only four first-quarter points (the same as UMass Monday night) thanks to 2-of-15 shooting from the floor and six turnovers over the first ten minutes.
 
While WestConn was struggling in the first quarter, Eastern connected on 8-of-17 shots and scored six points off turnovers on the strength of two steals each by Barry and senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) and another from senior guard Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell).
 
The teams played to a 35-35 stalemate after the first quarter but the early damage had been done, and WestConn was unable to recover. After shooting a miserable 13.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter, WestConn outdid itself in the second, missing 12 of 13 attempts from the floor (7.7 percent) and found itself in a 20-point hole (30-10) at the half.
 
Fourteen of WestConn's points came on 18 free-throw attempts in the game. Eastern shot just 38.6 percent from the floor – in large part due to a 3-of-15 performance behind the arc -- and capitalized on the few free throw attempts it was award, converting eight of nine.
 
Barry was Eastern's only double-digit scorer or rebounder, but two guards -- senior Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA) and first-year player Kya Mayo (Middletown) – the latter starting her second straight game after, like Barry, missing three straight – combined for 11 rebounds to give Eastern a +5 advantage in that category.
 
Eastern plays the third of four straight LEC road contests Saturday at Massachusetts Boston at 1 p.m.