WALTHAM, Mass. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team tipped off the 2022-23 season with a 56-50 loss to Maine Maritime Academy in the opening round of the Brandeis Judges Invitational on Friday night at Red Auerbach Arena.
Conn trailed by 11 heading into the final quarter but cut the deficit down to two by the final minute of play. MMA responded with a big three-pointer to pad the lead, and the Mariners went 6-for-6 from the line in the final 12 seconds to sew up the victory.
Hallie O'Toole (Wilbraham, Mass.) led the Camels with a game-high 17 points in her collegiate debut and shot 5-for-10 from beyond the arc.
Rebecca Oberman-Levine (Hamden) added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Lauren Plissey paced MMA with 13 points, one of three Mariners who finished in double digits.
O'Toole connected on her first shot of the game, a three-pointer that gave the Camels an early lead. She added another trey before the end of the quarter and tallied eight points as Conn built a 17-14 advantage.
The lead changed hands three times in the second quarter, with the Mariners closing the half on an 8-0 run to pull in front 30-24 at the break. Plissey contributed with four points during the stretch and had led all scorers with 11 points at intermission.
Oberman-Levine opened the second half with a bucket on Conn's first possession, but MMA responded with a 9-0 spurt to take its largest lead of the night at 39-26. A three-pointer by O'Toole seven-minute scoring drought for the Camels, but the Mariners carried a 41-30 lead into the final stanza.
O'Toole jump started the Camels with a pair of threes, cutting a 13-point deficit down to seven with 6:56 left. Later, Oberman-Levine provided a jumper and a pair of free throws to get Conn to within five at 45-40 with 3:23 remaining.
A jumper by Oberman-Levine, a free throw from
Molly Cronin (Wellesley, Mass.), and a layup by
Catie Donadio (Clinton, Conn.) made it a one-possession game with 1:05 to play. However, Erianna Moore responded with a huge three-pointer to keep the Mariners in front, and she tacked on four free throws in the final moments to keep the Camels at bay.
Maine Maritime shot 40 percent from the floor and 88 percent at the line in the win. The Mariners also owned a 39-33 edge on the glass and outscored the Camels 24-6 in the paint.
The Camels (0-1 overall) will next face RPI in the tournament's consolation game on Saturday at noon.
