Henniker, NH.- The Dean College women's basketball team dropped their Wednesday night contest against the New England College Pilgrims 58-81 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at Bridges Gym. The loss drops Dean to 5-10 (0-4 GNAC) and the win improves the Pilgrims to 7-8 (1-3 GNAC). 

Both sides were near-even after the first quarter of play, with Dean trailing New England College by just four points. In the opening minutes of the game, the two sides began in a 6-6 tie, scoring all twelve points with three-point shots. Azaria Landry (Fort Gregg-Adams, VA) and Tori Viau (Johnston, RI) scored the first points and three-pointers for Dean, respectively. 

The hosts began to pull away towards the beginning of the second quarter, going on a 14-2 run with multiple strong layups. The Bulldogs, however, quickly responded with baskets from Viau and Alexandria Paquet (Santa Maria, CA). The Pilgrims led the Bulldogs 40-28 at the end of the half. Viau led the way with 10 points heading into the locker room. 

In the third quarter, the Pilgrims continued to produce consistent points, outscoring Dean 28-14. Abi Boutin (Rocky Hill, CT) rose to the occasion for Dean, producing four points, two steals, and an assist. Paquet also scored three points in the third quarter. 

Back-to-back layups from Viau and Boutin cut the Pilgrim lead to 22. However, the quick burst by the Bulldogs fell short by the end of the fourth. The Pilgrims took the game by a final score of 81-58. Tori Viau led the Bulldogs in points with 17, while Azaria Landry and Abi Boutin also had double-digit point performances. Three different Bulldogs also had four steals in the contest. 

Dean is back in action on Saturday, January 18th at noon, when they face Colby-Sawyer College in GNAC play at Pieri Gymnasium.