Franklin, Mass. - The New England College Women's Basketball team traveled to Dean College for a thrilling Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup that remained close until the final minutes.  

The first 10 minutes of the game were a true test of how the game would go for the two teams. Junior Camryn Lewis (Taunton, Mass.) started the scoring for the afternoon for what would be a personal best game for herself. Neither team could pull away for more than two points until the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 in the last two and a half minutes to take their first major lead of 25-20.  

The Bulldogs took that momentum into the second quarter where they hit a three-pointer and extended the lead to eight points. A three-point play from senior Macy Gordon (Boscawen, N.H.) and a layup from Lewis helped the 'Grims keep in reach, until the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run late in the quarter to increase their lead 12. To round out the first half, Lewis scored six points in the last four minutes for the 'Grims to go into halftime trailing 44-31.  

The Pilgrims outscored the Bulldogs 25-15 in the third quarter and was 60% from the arc. With just a little less than two minutes, the 'Grims went on a 7-0 run with points coming from Lewis, junior Jayden Estrada (La Mirada, Calif.), and senior Mackenzie McDonald (Boscawen, N.H.). At the buzzer, Dean scored a three-pointer to break the tie and lead 59-56.  

Dean kept their pressure for the last 10 minutes with their largest lead being 11. Dean would end up winning the game 83-75 led by Azaria Landry, who had 27 points. For NEC Lewis had a career high 21 points and 10 field goals made. Estrada also had a season high of six rebounds and tallied seven assists.  

The team is back in Henniker on Tuesday against Elms College.  

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.