Box Score
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Western Connecticut State University sophomore Fatmata Barrie came off the bench to outscore the Eastern Connecticut State University bench by 12 points as the Wolves ended a 14-game losing streak at the hands of the Warriors with a 57-54 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

WestConn (8-11, 3-7 LEC) outscored Eastern 11-2 over a stretch of three minutes to snap a 42-42 tie and went on to defeat Eastern (7-11, 4-5 LEC) at Geissler Gymnasium for the first time since the 2011-12 season and snap an overall 14-game losing streak at the hands of the Warriors.

The Wolves won on their opponent's home court for only the second time this year and first time since a 50-37 win at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the third game of the year back on Nov. 15. The Warriors lost their third straight (LEC) game and fell to 2-5 at home.

A 5-foot-9 inch sophomore, Barrie had nine points and six rebounds off the bench in staking her team to a ten-point, 33-23 halftime lead and finished the game with 16 points (7-of-10 FG) and a game-high 11 rebounds. Eastern's five bench players countered with only four points and six rebounds in a total of 35 minutes. Barrie scored all but four of her team's bench points and had all 11 of its rebounds.

In a 65-59 win over WestConn in the LEC opener for both teams back on Dec. 3, Eastern rallied from ten points down with 24 fourth-quarter points. In that win, Eastern limited WestConn to just eight points in the final quarter. Wednesday, Eastern defense held WestConn to just seven points but this time, managed only ten of its own despite forcing nine of WestConn's gagme total of 24 turnovers.

Eastern never led by more than three points – that coming early in the first quarter – but rallied back from seven points down to tie the game for the final time, 42-42, with three minutes left in the third quarter. Sophomore guard Liv Cassesse's (Wallingford) steal and layup and first-year wing Maddie Topa's (New Hartford) only three pointer of the game pulled the Warriors even – but only briefly – before the visitors went on their 11-2 run to move out to a nine-point, 53-44 lead with six minutes left.

With the score tied at 42-all, Eastern had two chances to move ahead but  couldn't connect on a three-point try off a steal by junior forward Marissa Nudd (Colchester), and after first-year wing Katelyn Novak (Colchester) grabbed the offensive rebound, Eastern turned the ball over.

Six-foot senior Sara Macary followed by sinking a pair of free throws to give WestConn the lead for good, 44-42, and ignite the 11-2 scoring run. Senior forward Leana Heitmann – who combined with Macary for 30 points and 15 rebounds – scored inside off a feed from Barrie to make it 46-43 and Barrie later closed the spurt by hitting a jump and then scoring inside to beat the third-quarter horn and give the visitors a six-point, 50-44 lead heading into the final turn.

Macary led all players with 22 points to along with nine rebounds.

Nudd led Eastern in scoring (20) and rebounding (9), with Topa finishing with 14 points. Novak, six-foot junior forward Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) and first-year sophomore forward Trinity Angel (Killingly) – the latter coming off the bench – each grabbed four rebounds. Cassesse did not come off the floor and added eight points, six assists and five rebounds.

Eastern visits the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday in an LEC game at 1 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center, looking to gain a split of the regular-season series after dropping a 74-57 decision at home Dec. 3.