Women's Basketball Cruises Past Visiting Western New England, 59-43

Women's Basketball Cruises Past Visiting Western New England, 59-43

MILTON, Mass. – Curry College topped visiting Western New England, 59-43, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action Wednesday night in Milton. The Colonels improved to 9-8 on the season and 6-5 in CCC action, while the Golden Bears fell to 7-10 overall and 4-7 in league play.

Curry opened the first frame on a 16-2 run over the first 5:32 of play. The run started after junior Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) converted a layup and was later capped off after sophomore Shannon Griffith (West Hartford, Conn.) made a layup with 15:28 on the clock. With 2:29 left in the first period, WNE cut the deficit to three (25-22) after graduate Nicole Daly (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) sank a three-pointer. The Colonels answered with a 5-0 run to take a 30-22 edge heading into intermission.

In the second half, Curry stretched the lead to 21 after sophomore Kerry White (Windham, N.H.) converted a three-point play with 11:40 on the clock. The Golden Bears pulled to within 15 (50-35) after freshman Paige Young (Berlin, Conn.) hit a jump shot with 7:45 left in regulation. That was as close as WNE would come, as the Colonels would maintain a steady lead en route to the 59-43 final.

Beltz led all scorers with 20 points. Senior Ashley Assarian (Chicopee, Mass.) added 14 points and a game-high seven steals, while Griffith pulled down a team-best seven boards.

WNE was led by Daly with 14 points. Young recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, while also chipping in with eight points.

Both teams return to CCC action on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., as Curry will travel to Eastern Nazarene, while the Golden Bears host Roger Williams.