Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Eastern Connecticut State University

Official Site of Eastern Connecticut State University Athletics
Liv Cassesse
65
Winner Eastern Conn. St. ECSU 2-5,1-0 Little East
59
WestConn WC 3-4,0-1 Little East
Winner
Eastern Conn. St. ECSU
2-5,1-0 Little East
65
Final
59
WestConn WC
3-4,0-1 Little East
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Eastern Conn. St. ECSU 9 19 13 24 65
WestConn WC 12 21 18 8 59

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Alyssa French-Graham

Women's Basketball: Warriors Erase Late Double-Digit Deficit in LEC-Opening Win

DANBURY, Conn. —  Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball rode a fourth quarter comeback to defeat the Western Connecticut State University Wolves, on the road, for their first conference victory of the season with a 65-59 final, Wednesday night, at Stephen Feldman Arena.

Led by powerhouses' Junior forward Marissa Nudd (Colchester) and sophomore guard Liv Cassesse (Wallingford), the Warriors dug back from a 12-point Wolves advantage, outscoring WestConn 24-8 in the final frame, tipping victory in their favor.

Game Information:
  • Score: Eastern Connecticut State University 65, Western Connecticut State University 59
  • Records: Eastern (2-5) (LEC 1-0), WestConn (3-4) (LEC 0-1) 
  • Location: Danbury, CT | (Stephen Feldman Arena) 
Key Moments: 

First Quarter
  • WestConn struck first, gaining an early advantage with a jumper and a quick layup from Fatmata Barrie and Sara Macary. Eastern finally found its first bucket at the seven-minute mark, courtesy of Nudd's tough and-1 finish to get the Warriors rolling. 
  • Both teams traded blows through the middle stretch, each team managing to come away with five steals each, paired with just about even points until WestConn broke the stalemate with a three from Leana Heitmann, followed by a Barrie free throw to close the quarter with the Wolves ahead, 12-9.
Second Quarter
  • WestConn's Malaysia Dingle started the second quarter with a quick layup, but Warriors' Nevaeh King (Brockton, MA) answered with a deep three to pull the Warriors back within striking range. Still, the Wolves refused to loosen their grip, tacking on six more points to stretch the lead 21-16 as Eastern went cold.
  • A pair of free throws from Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) briefly stopped the Eastern drought, but WestConn kept their edge, building their largest lead of the half, 32-24, which was capped with a bucket from Macary. With just over a minute left, Eastern found its spark with a clutch three from Juliana Conte (Wakefield, MA), her second of the quarter, followed by a Paquette free-throw, trimming the halftime deficit to 33-28. 
Third Quarter
  • WestConn capitalized on their lead, beginning scoring for the third quarter in a row with a quick and-1 to push the margin to eight. Though Eastern responded with a point from the stripe by Paquette briefly, before each team traded empty trips to the basket until Leana Heitmann knocked down a mid-range bucket at the 8:03 mark to make a nine-point gap. 
  • Cassesse provided motion for the Warriors with a pair of free throws and a strong finish inside, but WestConn continued to answer, their Macary remaining a steady presence in the paint, scoring quickly to keep the Wolves ahead 40-32,  before Katelyn Novak (Colchester) and Maddie Topa (New Hartford) went on a 5-0 run answered by WestConn's Heitmann and Macary to enter the fourth with a ten-point advantage, 51-41.
Fourth Quarter
  • Eastern came alive in the final frame, staring down a ten-point deficit. Novak lit the Warriors' spark, drilling a three less than a minute in to cut the Wolves' margin, and as WestConn dug in trying to hold their lead, Eastern's defense forced a slew of empty possessions for the Wolves while evenly chipping away at the gap.
  • Paquette led the second surge, slamming back-to-back jumpers and then capitalizing at the line to add two more, trimming the deficit to just two, while at 5:37, Isabella Romero (Peabody, MA) weaved through traffic to tie the game 52-52,  Eastern's first knot of the half.
  • WestConn fought, regaining the lead briefly, but Eastern left no doubt in the victory with Cassesse and Nudd leading the charge in the final minutes. Nudd knocked down her final bucket of the night while Cassesse calmly tallied six free throws in the closing minute, pushing the six-point lead until the buzzer, outscoring the Wolves 24-8 in the closing quarter for a 65-59 conference road win.
Stats:
  • Eastern Conn. St.: 19–50 FG (38.0%), 5–18 3PT (27.8%), 22–27 FT (81.5%)
    WestConn: 24–61 FG (39.3%), 2–21 3PT (9.5%), 9–14 FT (64.3%)
  • Rebounds: Eastern 34, WestConn 35
  • Assists: Eastern 16, WestConn 15
  • Turnovers: Eastern 20, WestConn 24
  • Points in the Paint: Eastern 22, WestConn 40
  • Second-Chance Points: Eastern 0, WestConn 15
  • Fast Break Points: Eastern 15, WestConn 5
  • Points off Turnovers: Eastern 20, WestConn 8
  • Bench Points: Eastern 11, WestConn 9
Game Notes:
  • Eastern Connecticut State opened its first conference game of the season with a 65-59 win at WestConn.
  • Marissa Nudd led the team with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist.
  • The Warriors shot 38.0% from the field and 27.8% from three-point range.
  • Liv Cassesse added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to help the Warriors secure the victory.
Up Next:
Eastern travels to face Saint Joseph's College of Maine Friday at 8 p.m. in the first round of the Williams College Shooting Touch Tournament at Chandler Gymnasium.
Print Friendly Version
Official Site of Eastern Connecticut State University Athletics