Women’s Basketball Down Dean College in First Post-Break Game

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The MCLA Women's Basketball team returned from their winter break with a non-conference matchup at Dean College. A double-double by Kristie Zator and a career-high 11 points by Eva Eberwein spurred the Trailblazers to a 45-27 victory.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2024
• Score: MCLA 45, Dean 27
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 3-9 (MASCAC 0-0) | Dean College Bulldogs 1-9 (GNAC 0-2)

HIGHLIGHTS

• MCLA opened the game with a commanding first quarter, outscoring Dean 17-2 in the introductory 10-minute frame. Sophomore forward Kristie Zator led the way, scoring 10 of her game-high 16 points in the first quarter. She also pulled down 10 of her team-high 11 rebounds in the opening quarter.
• Zator kept the pressure on the host Bulldogs, scoring the remaining six of her 16 points in the final 45 seconds of the second quarter. Eva Eberwein and Hailey Peabody added four points apiece in the second as the visitors took a 33-11 advantage into the halftime locker room.
• The Trailblazers continued to outshoot Dean in the third quarter, with Eberwein trailing the entire Bulldog team by a single point as her team continued to pull away on an 11-6 advantage in the penultimate quarter and held a 44-17 lead after three.
• With two MCLA starters resting for the fourth quarter and a third only playing three minutes, the Bulldogs began to chip away at the lead but still fell well short with a final score of 45-27.
• First-year Caroline Schmaling tied her season-high with six rebounds, while fellow first-year Kaylee Gray had a season-high five boards.
• Sophomore Zaylee Ramos led the Trailblazers with five steals as MCLA forced the Bulldogs into 27 turnovers, leading to a 26-8 advantage in points off turnovers. The 16 steals by the Trailblazers tied their season-high previously set against Anna Maria on December 4^th.
• Dean was led by forward Makayla Swan and Cat Thomas, who scored six points apiece. Thomas scored all six of her points in the third quarter.
• Kendrah Doane collected a game-high 12 rebounds and scored five points for the Bulldogs while playing a game-high 37 minutes.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 20-60 / 33.3%, Dean 11-51 / 21.6%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 3-21 / 14.3%, Dean 1-15 / 6.7%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 2-7 / 28.6 %, Dean 4-7 / 57.1%
• Rebounds: MCLA 44, Dean 39
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 26, Dean 8
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 7, Dean 6
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 26, Dean 16
• Bench Points: MCLA 6, Dean 6

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Fitchburg State for a MASCAC matchup with the Falcons at the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. The teams will take the floor for a 5 p.m. tip-off.

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