New England College

By: KJ Cardinal

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — New England College used a fast start and a balanced scoring effort to grab a solid road win on Thursday evening, defeating Plymouth State 73–65 at Foley Gym.

New England College (2–3, 0–0 Great Northeast) jumped out to a 20–7 lead in the first quarter and never trailed, stacking double-figure scoring from Jayden Estrada (12), Nyah Belton (10), Camryn Lewis (14), and Ajayah Lively (10). Lewis powered the Pilgrims inside with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Estrada added six assists and ran the offense with poise.

Plymouth State (5–1, 0–0 Little East) surged back behind a strong second-half push, highlighted by Ashley Stephens (13), Hailey Malozzi (12), Sophie George (12)—who hit four threes—and Elli Cox (10). Stephens went 6-for-8 at the line, and Malozzi added seven boards and three steals as the Panthers made a late run.

New England College’s depth proved to be the difference, producing 29 bench points and helping the Pilgrims win the rebounding margin 44–30. Lewis converted six free throws, and Lively delivered eight rebounds of her own as NEC held off PSU’s fourth-quarter charge.

New England College is back in action on Dec. 3 at Mount Holyoke, while Plymouth State returns to the hardwood on Nov. 25, traveling to Rivier for a non-conference matchup.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal …

NEC Women at Plymouth (11.20.25) – KJ CARDINAL

101 photos

Introducing our NCAA Rewind. At various points throughout the season, we’ll give a look back on recent NCAA play around the state, breaking things down by Division with records, recent results and upcoming opponents.

By: KJ Cardinal

The 2024-25 season is off and running for the 18 NCAA teams around the Granite State. The Colby-Sawyer women (4-0) and Plymouth State men (2-0) are the only undefeated teams in the state, while the UNH women are off to a strong 4-1 start.

Early season action is typically comprised of non-conference match-ups and the competition levels can vary rather significantly. Let’s take a quick look back at each team’s start to the 2024-25 campaign and where they’re off to next…

DIVISION I

UNH WOMEN
Record: 4-1

Coming off a pair of victories over teams from Boston, the UNH women improve to 4-1 on the season. This past week, the Wildcats went on the road to defeat Northeastern, 58-31, before besting BU yesterday, 69-60, at Lundholm Gym in Durham, N.H. The Wildcats look to complete the Beanpot trifecta on Wednesday as they head to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on Boston College at 6:00 PM.

DARTMOUTH MEN
Record: 2-2

After winning its first two games of the season versus VTSU Lyndon and Sacred Heart, the Dartmouth men have dropped two straight to UAlbany and Boston University to even their record to 2-2 on the season.

Next up for the Big Green is a trip to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. as they take on Marist on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

DARTMOUTH WOMEN
Record: 2-1

Behind 14 points from junior Clare Meyer, the Dartmouth women defeated visiting UMass Lowell, 57-41, on Saturday afternoon at Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H. With the win, the Big Green improve to 2-1 on the season and next host Vermont on Monday at 7:00 PM.

UNH MEN
Record: 1-5

The UNH men have dropped four straight, including a pair of contests the last two days to Brown and Sacred Heart at Brown’s College Hill Classic in Providence, R.I. The Wildcats return to action today as they take on Holy Cross at 3:30 PM in their final game at the event.

DIVISION II

SAINT ANSELM WOMEN
Record: 2-1, 1-0 NE10
Behind a career-high 31 points from Melanie Hoyt, including the game-winning basket with 7 seconds left, the Saint Anselm women defeated visiting AIC on Wednesday night to win their NE10 opener and improve to 2-1 on the season. The Hawks host Saint Michael’s on Wednesday at 5:30 PM.

SAINT ANSELM MEN
Record: 1-2, 0-1 NE10

The Saint Anselm men have lost its NE-10 conference opener on Saturday versus American International, 91-82, to fall to 1-2 on the season. Next up, the Hawks host Saint Michael’s on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

SNHU MEN
Record: 1-2

A little home cooking was all the SNHU men needed to get their first win of the season, a thrilling come-from-behind 79-77 win over visiting Bloomfield on Saturday in Manchester, N.H. Junior transfer Ray Daniels poured in a team-high 24 points to pace the Penmen to the victory. Next up, SNHU heads to New Haven, Conn. on Wednesday for its first Northeast-10 Conference game of the season as they take on Southern Connecticut State at 7:30 PM.

SNHU WOMEN
Record: 1-2

After winning their season opener versus Post, the SNHU women have dropped two straight to Bloomfield and Dominican (N.Y.) to fall to 1-2 on the young season. SNHU opens up conference play on Wednesday at Southern Connecticut State at 5:30 PM.

FRANKLIN PIERCE WOMEN
Record: 1-3, 0-1 NE10

The Ravens have dropped their last two outings and currently sit at 1-3 on the season. The FPU women lost to Caldwell yesterday, 54-46, at the 11th Annual Regina Rivera Memorial Tournament in Orangeburg, N.Y. The Ravens play their final game in the event today at 2:00 pm versus host Dominican (N.Y.) at 2:00 PM.

FRANKLIN PIERCE MEN
Record: 0-4, 0-1 NE10

Coming off an 81-75 loss to New Haven on Saturday, the Franklin Pierce men dropped to 0-4 on the season. The Ravens will look for their first win of the season today as they take on Dominican (N.Y.) at 4:00 PM at the 12th Annual Daniel Sullivan Memorial Tournament in Orangeburg, N.Y.

DIVISION III

COLBY-SAWYER WOMEN
Record: 4-0

The Colby-Sawyer women are off to a hot 4-0 start as they boast the state’s best mark in NCAA play. The Chargers have defeated VTSU Lyndon, VTSU Johnson, Thomas College and most recently a close 56-51 win at Wellesley. Next up for CSC is an interstate showdown as they host Plymouth State on Wednesday at 6:00 PM at the Hogan Sports Center in New London, NH.

PLYMOUTH STATE MEN
Record: 2-0

After two convincing victories over Elms and VTSU Johnson to open the season, the Plymouth State men are 2-0. Exeter’s Kevin Henry is leading the way for PSU on the young season with 18.0 points per game. Next up, the Panthers host interstate foe New England College on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.

NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE WOMEN
Record: 3-1

The New England College women pushed their win streak to three with Saturday’s victory over VTSU Johnson, 66-34, at the VSU Lyndon Tournament in Lyndonville, Vt. The Grims take on tourney host VSU Lyndon today at 2:00 PM.

RIVIER MEN
Record: 3-1

The Rivier Raiders lost their first game of the 2024-25 season on Saturday as they were tripped up at Roger Williams, 103-89. The Raiders opened the season with three-straight wins over Mass Liberal Arts, Hartford and Fitchburg State. Riv returns to action on Thursday at Lesley in Cambridge, Mass. at 7:30 PM.

PLYMOUTH STATE WOMEN
Record: 1-2

The Plymouth State women dropped their opening game at the Gene DeLorenzo Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday to Colby, 67-24, to fall to 1-2 on the season. Freshman Kaley Goodhart (Kennett) paces PSU on the season with 8.3 PPG. The Panthers now take on tourney host Thomas College today at 2:00 PM.

COLBY-SAWYER MEN
Record: 1-3

The Colby-Sawyer men have dropped back-to-back games to UMass Boston and Brandeis to fall to 1-3 on the season. Next up, the Chargers head to West Hartford, Conn. to take on Hartford on Tuesday at 7:30 PM.

RIVIER WOMEN
Record: 0-2

Lyric Grumblatt (Manchester Memorial) and Hannah Muchemore (Bishop Guertin) poured in 31 and 21 points, respectively, on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the Rivier women lost at WPI, 74-71, in Worcester, Mass. The Raiders return to action on Tuesday, looking for their first win of the season, at Brandeis at 6:00 PM.

NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE MEN
Record: 0-3

The New England College men are 0-3 to start the young season, with losses to Norwich, Dean College and Framingham State. The Grims look to get off the schneid on Tuesday with a Granite State showdown at Plymouth State at 6:00 PM.