By Zach Perbeck

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Despite a valiant 14-point effort from junior Jaycie Rojik (Scituate, Mass.), the Connecticut College women's basketball team fell to Eastern Connecticut State University by a score of 57-40 on Sunday. 
 
The Warriors got ahead early thanks to nine first-quarter points from Julie Keckler, all from behind the arc. The Camels were less fortunate from the three-point line as they were just 1-5 shooting from deep in the first quarter. The lack of shooting, combined with eight turnovers by Connecticut College, allowed the Warriors to jump out to an early 19-13 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
The second quarter saw both teams struggle to shoot the ball as each team connected on just four shots while making one three-pointer each. Connecticut College had opportunities to gain momentum, but three missed free-throws halted any previous progress and prevented the Camels from making up any ground on the Warriors prior to halftime.
 
The third quarter was a frame of turnovers and free throws, as the Warriors maintained the lead after stealing the ball four times and converting on six of their eight attempts from the charity stripe. Despite powerful blocks from sophomore Rebecca Oberman-Levine (Hamden, Conn.) and senior Emily O'Sullivan (North Reading, Mass.), the Camels were unable to convert on key opportunities and continued to find themselves trailing 44-34 at the end of three quarters.
 
The final quarter of the game proved to be a similar story to the previous three, as turnovers and poor shooting plagued the Camels. The Warriors continued to add to their lead and prove victorious.
 
The hosts led the Camels in field goal percentage by a 34.5 percent to 30.9 percent margin and shot much better from deep than Connecticut College, making 28.6 percent of their 3-pointers compared to just 12.5 percent for the Camels. The Camels struggled from the line all game, connecting on only three of their eight free throws, while the Warriors connected on a solid 13 of their 17 attempts from the line.
 
The Warriors held a substantial margin in rebounds, totaling 44 to just 32 by Connecticut College and assists were a similar story with Eastern leading Conn by a margin of 11-7. Connecticut College turned the ball over 21 times compared to 18 for Eastern Connecticut.
 
Anna Barry led Eastern Connecticut State (3-3) individually with nine points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. She also finished with two blocks and a pair of steals. In addition to scoring 14 points, Rojik pulled down seven rebounds and registered three steals to pace the Camels in the setback.
 
Connecticut College (1-5) next travels to Hartford on Saturday, Dec. 4 to take on Trinity College for a non-conference game at 1:00 p.m.