BRISTOL, R.I. –The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team held off Curry College 60-55 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Wednesday night.
The Hawks improve to 12-2 in the CCC and 16-6 overall while Curry slips to 10-5 in the CCC and 14-9 overall.
The Colonels made the first run in the game jumping out to an 8-2 lead that forced a Hawks timeout.
Angelica Ariola (Prospect, Conn.) cut the lead to 8-5 with a long range jumper from behind the arc. Mariah Nicholas (Acushnet, Mass.) found some space down low to cut the lead to a point and Bridget Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) sank two free throws to give the Hawks their first lead (9-8).
The Hawks utilized a 3/4 court zone press and a 3/3 zone to defend while Curry switched from zone to man defense each possession. The teams traded buckets and the three-pointer to bring the game to 20-20 at the 8:00 minute mark.
The Hawks rallied to gain a four-point advantage off layups by Nicholas and Lisa Lutz (Downers Grove, Ill.). However, Jeanette Fallon (Nashua, N.H.) dropped two free throws to put the Colonels up by two.
An Emma Klis (East Northport, N.Y.) three-pointer gave the Hawks their largest lead at 27-22. The Colonels' Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) answered from beyond the arc to cut the lead back to two points with 3:02 to play in the half.
Samantha Corcoran (Hampton, N.H.) scored the final four points for the Curry to bring them within two (27-29), but Nicholas stole a cross court pass and turned it into a fast break lay-up to give the Hawks 31 at the close of the period.
In the second half, the Hawks increased their lead to seven points with a Bridget Quilty jumper at 16:46, but the Colonels clawed their way back to 38 all with 13:09 left on Fallon's layup.
The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes, with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage until an Ariola free throw at 8:15 put the game at 47-44.
Kylie Betz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) kept the Colonels within striking distance with a lay-up and pair of free throws that put the game at 51-49. Kerry White (Windham, N.H.) then tied it up at 53 with a jumper at 1:48.
However, Ariola put RWU back on top with a three-pointer that gave her 20 points for the game. The Hawks would then finish the game making their final four free throws to hold off Curry 60-55.
Ariola led all scorers with 20 along with four rebounds and three steals. Quilty finished with ten points and eight rebounds, while Nicholas added 16 points and five boards off the bench.
Beltz and Corcoran paced the Curry offense with 14 each, with Corrcoran adding nine rebounds and seven blocks. White finished with six points and seven rebounds.
The Hawks travel to Boston, Mass. to take on Wentworth while the Colonels take on Endicott College at home in Milton, Mass. Saturday, February 14 at 1:00 p.m. (Recap courtesy of RWU Sports Information)
