Cambridge, Mass. - January 13, 2024 - The Springfield College women's basketball team began New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play with a gritty 79-72 victory at MIT on Saturday afternoon. 

The Pride improved to 12-3 with the triumph, while MIT dropped to 8-5.

Four different players scored in double figures for Springfield as it used a balanced attack to prevail on the road.  Rachel Vinton (Holden, Mass.) netted a team-best 19 points and Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) put together another incredible double-double showing with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Lindsey Laughlan (Ellington, Conn.) contributed 14 points and seven boards and Amanda Leary (Westbury, N.Y.) chipped in 12 points.  The Pride shot 30-for-60 (50%) from the field, including at least 56% in three of the four quarters, and held a 37-26 edge on the glass.

Springfield jumped out to a 14-7 lead midway through the first when Natalie Lucas (Madison, Conn.) connected on a triple in transition, but the hosts would push back with an 8-3 run of their own to make it a 17-15 game with 1:58 on the clock. The Pride would close out the quarter on a 7-2 burst, with Laughlan pulling up for a jumper outside of the paint in the final 30 seconds to make it a 24-17 contest after 10 minutes of play. 

The visitors lead would balloon to 34-19 on a Vinton steal and score with 6:26 left in the first half, the lead would evaporate thanks to a a 19-4 burst by the Engineers to close out the stanza and make it a 38-all game at the half. Springfield was held to just 5-of-18 from the field in the 10 minutes of play as it was outscored by a 21-14 margin. 

Springfield would go down 50-47 in the first three minutes of the third, but righted the ship with an 11-2 run to hold a slight 58-52 advantage entering the fourth. Six different players had a field goal for the Pride in the third, which shot 9-of-16 from the field. 

Czeremcha converted in the paint to extend Springfield's lead to 67-56 with 6:25 on the clock, but MIT would make one last push, getting within 73-72 with 1:42 left to play.  Claire Finney (Haverhill, Mass.) would draw a charge in a key spot for the Pride and Czeremcha answered the next time down the court with a drive and finish to make it 75-72.  The ENgineers came up empty on their next possesion, and Laughlan's free throws and late bucket from Vinton sealed the win. 

Springfield will play again on Wednesday evening when it hosts Coast Guard at 7 pm.

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