WILLIMANTIC, Conn. --  Junior post player Ashley McFetridge (Canton) and junior guard Nicky Morey (Columbia) combined for 23 second-half points behind 8-for-10 shooting from the floor as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 75-60 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College Tuesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
 

The victory allows Eastern (16-2, 6-2 little east) to open up a two-game lead over Keene State (11-7, 4-4 little east) in the conference standings. The Warriors keep pace with the University of Southern Maine (8-0) and Western Connecticut State University (7-1), both of whom also won Tuesday. Keene, which won 12 of 14 regular-season conference games last year, maintains a one-game lead over fifth-place Rhode Island, which was beaten at Western.

A loser of four of their previous six against Keene, the Warriors scored 12 of the first 17 points over the first five minutes of the second half to open up their first double-digit lead of the game, 45-35. The Owls managed to cut the lead to eight three times in the second half before the Warriors seized the momentum for good by scoring 11 straight points to push the lead to a game-high 19, 68-49, with five minutes left.

During Eastern's decisive 11-point run, the Owls missed  three shots and commited four turnovers on seven possessions. Morey had have five points in that burst, with McFetridge scoring two and grabbing two rebounds and blocking one of the four shots which she collected in the game.

Morey had 13 points in the second half (4-for-6 from the floor) and McFetridge ten (4-for-4) as the Warriors converted 15 of 25 shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes.

The team's second-leading scorer this year, Morey totaled a game-high 22 points, with senior forward Stephanie Smith (Penacook, NH) adding 18 points and McFetridge 15 points and a game-high rebounds. The trio was 22-for-37 (.595) from the floor.

Sophomore guard Kristin Degou led Keene with 16 points and eight rebounds, sinking six of seven from the floo. Sophomore guard Alysssa Sapp had 11 points.

KSC visits R.I. College Saturday at 1 p.m.