BENNINGTON, Vt. - The Southern Vermont College women's basketball team hosted foe the New England College Pilgrims in a barnburner that saw SVC comeback from a 12 point deficit only to fall short in the final seconds, with a final score of 63-57. Joa Claircius led Southern Vermont with 20 points while Rachel Williams led the Pilgrims with 23 points and 12 boards for the double-double.
The Mountaineers came out cold and were down by 12 at the half but with strong showings from junior Kiara Bates, who had a career high 12 points, and Rachel Pannell contributed 17 points in only 21 minutes of play. Southern Vermont College improved from the free throw line, shooting 45%. The Mountaineers had only 15 turnovers compared to the 21 from the Pilgrims.
Guard Jenny Bronson of New England College had the other lone double-double of the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Also contributing for the Pilgrims, forward Kendall Wolfson chipped in 17 points and snagged eight boards and was a solid 7-9 from the charity stripe.
The Mountaineers fought hard and got within two points with only 37 seconds remaining in the game. But could not seal the victory as the Pilgrims improved to a season record of 3-4 and the SVC fell to a 1-5 overall record.
The Mountaineers are back in action Saturday, December 5st, when it hosts St. Joe's College (Brooklyn) with a tip-off set for 1:00 p.m.