PLYMOUTH, N.H. - First-year forward Nia Rencher (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) netted a team-high 17 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to lift the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball squad to a 52-49 victory at Little East Conference foe Plymouth State University on Saturday afternoon at Foley Gym.

Classmate guard Gianna Castellano (East Haven, Conn.) dished out a game-high three assists. Raegan Peck paced Plymouth State with a game-high 23 points, while Ashley Stevens poured in 10 and snagged a team-high nine boards.

The Wolves trailed early in the first quarter, 11-5, before rattling off a 13-0 flurry to capture an 18-11 lead heading into the second. Rookie forward Fatmata Barrie (Staten Island, N.Y.) capped the spurt with an offensive putback at the buzzer. 

The Panthers cut into the deficit in the second as they trimmed it to a 29-26 WestConn advantage at the break. The visitors widened the gap to 38-26 when Rencher drove in for a layup midway through the third. However, Plymouth would not go down without a fight. They evened the count at 40-40 when Ashley Stevens nailed a midrange jumper early in the fourth. The Wolves answered with a 6-0 run and would hold off the hosts down the stretch. Rencher and junior guard Malaysia Dingle (Brockton, Mass.) buried free throws to seal the win in the waning seconds.

With the victory, WestConn improved to 4-5 overall and 2-1 in league play, while Plymouth State sank to 2-7 and 0-2. The Wolves receive a lengthy break before returning to action on December 29 when they host Elmira College in a non-conference matchup.