NO. 23-RANKED WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM SUFFERS 55-52 LOSS AT ECSU

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team outscored Emmanuel College 10-2 over the final three minutes to wipe out a five-point deficit and gain a 55-52 victory.  The loss was the first of the season for the 23rd-ranked Saints, falling to the Warriors on Tuesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

The battle featured seven ties and seven lead changes before Eastern (2-1) took the lead for good at 52-50, when freshman guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington, Conn.) canned her only three-pointer on her seventh try from that distance with 45 seconds left. With Eastern leading by one, junior guard Kristina Forsman (Newington, Conn.) sunk two of four free throw attempts in the final 20 seconds, as Eastern handed the Saints their first loss of the season.

ECSU moved out to a nine-point lead with half of the game remaining but was outscored 19-5 over the next seven minutes, as the visitors took a five-point, 50-45 lead with 2:52 left. Emmanuel was 8-for-12 from the floor in that stretch – six of the hoops coming in the paint -- and gave the ball away only once. Six different players contributed to scoring in that stretch.

After scoring 13 of their 22 first-half points off of Eastern's 13 turnovers, Emmanuel managed only three points off Eastern's eight second-half miscues.

The Saints found themselves in foul trouble throughout the contest, leading to Eastern's +15 advantage in free-throw attempts. Eastern was 16-for-26 from the stripe, led by sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Mass.), who went 5-for-6. Two Emmanuel starters fouled out in the final 79 seconds.

Nappi led all scorers with 15 points, while sophomore Brianna Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Ritrosky combined for 30 rebounds (Leonard leading all players in the game with 16). Ritrosky added five assists.

The teams combined to miss 20 of 21 three-point field goals, with Nappi's clutch go-ahead three with 45 seconds left.

Senior forward Jasmine Burwell (Brentwood, N.Y.) and junior forward Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) led Emmanuel with 11 and 10 points, respectively.  Junior guard Britni Mikulanecz (Portland, Me.) dished out a game-high 7 assists, while junior forward Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.) blocked 3 shots in the effort.

Eastern visits Trinity College Thursday at 7:00 PM. Emmanuel will host its second Little East Conference opponent in three days, when the Anchorwomen of Rhode Island College travel to Boston for a 7:00 PM tip off.

- Release and photos courtesy of Eastern Connecticut State University Sports Information