MILTON, Mass. – Curry College outlasted visiting Eastern Nazarene, 61-58, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Milton. The Colonels improved to 5-3 on the season and 2-1 in conference play, while the Lions fell to 4-6 overall and 0-3 in CCC action.

With 14:07 remaining in the first period, Eastern Nazarene took an early seven-point lead (10-3) following back-to-back made threes by juniors Ruby Leon (Fairfield, Calif.) and Michelle Herrera (Santa Barbara, Calif.), respectively. Curry chipped away over the next 14 minutes and closed the first half on an 18-6 run, claiming a nine point lead (33-24) heading into intermission. The run started after junior Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) sank a pair from the charity stripe and was capped off with a three-pointer by senior Ashley Assarian (Chicopee, Mass.).

In the second frame, the Colonels took their biggest lead of the game (44-33) after sophomore Kerry White (Windham, N.H.) converted a layup with 13:17 on the clock. The Lions answered with a 13-2 run, tying the game at 46-46 after Leon sank a jumper with 9:13 remaining in regulation. After both teams went on a run of their own, Eastern Nazarene freshman Katy Teare (Frazier Park, Calif.) made a layup to knot the score up at 56-56 with 49 seconds left on the clock.

Beltz answered with a shot from beyond the arc, giving the hosts a three-point edge with 28 seconds left. The Lions responded with a layup to trim the deficit to one (59-58) and then immediately fouled with four seconds remaining, but Curry junior Jeanette Fallon (Nashua, N.H.) secured the 61-58 victory with a pair of made free throws.

Beltz led all scorers with 22, while also pulling down 11 rebounds to record the double-double. Beltz also dished out a game-high five assists and shot 3-3 from beyond the arc. Junior Christina Deiorio (Stoughton, Mass.) added 13 points, while classmate Samantha Corcoran (Hampton, N.H.) had a team-high 12 rebounds.

Leon led Eastern Nazarene with a team-high 20 points. Teare pulled down a game-high 14 boards and also chipped in with eight points.

The Colonels travel to Coast Guard Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. non-conference game, while the Lions host Roger Williams on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. for a CCC contest.