MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College women's basketball team came out victorious in a physical match up against non-conference opponent Thomas College by a score of 47-32. Defense ruled in this low scoring affair as the two opponents combined to record 29 steals on the day while forcing exactly 50 total turnovers.
The Colonels scored first on a pair of converted free throws by senior captain Emily Irwin (Billerica, Mass.). The lead would grow to 9-0 before the Terriers put points on the board with 2:12 remaining in the first frame on a jumper by senior Lexi Colpack (Franklin, N.H.). Those two points would stand to be the only tallies the Colonels would surrender in the first quarter, leading 15-2 as the teams headed to the second frame.
Scoring was sparse as the teams resumed action. Nearly three minutes ran off the clock before a jump shot by freshman center Peyton Perine (Fairfax, Va.) found home with 7:03 remaining in the half, giving the hosts a 17-2 advantage. Curry's defense remained stingy while a well-balanced offense extended their lead to 17 points as baskets from senior Molly Plunkett (Quincy, Mass.), junior Sam Bamford (Easton, Mass.), and Irwin sent the teams to the half with the score sitting at 29-12.
The teams traded points following the break, many of them coming from the free throw line. Seven of the 15 total points scored in the third quarter came from the charity stripe. Nearly equaling the number of points in the frame was the number of turnovers, as the defenses combined to force 12 turnovers in the third quarter alone. Despite the continuous changes in possession, the deficit would remain largely the same with the hosts leading 37-19 heading into the fourth.
The Colonels opened the fourth quarter by matching their biggest lead of the match up at 20 points, thanks to an early layup from freshman Amanda Leal (Tyngsboro, Mass.). After Irwin converted on a pair of free throws to put the hosts up 41-23, both teams showed continued fatigue, as that mark would stay put for nearly three minutes once again. The Terriers put forth a valiant comeback effort late, benefitting from buckets by Molly Horton (Brownington, Vt.), Kaylee Ravagli (Lowell, Mass.), and Nikki Bradstreet (Topsham, Maine) along with five converted free throws, but were only able to cut the deficit to 12 as the Colonels lead would prove to be too much to overcome. After a steal from Perine with 23 seconds remaining, Curry would run the clock down to zero, securing the 47-32 victory.
Thomas' scoring on the day was paced by Bradstreet, who put up nine points in the contest. Addie Brinkman (Farmington, Maine) and Molly Carroll (Southwest Harbor, Maine) both pulled down eight rebounds for the visitors while Brinkman led the way with a pair of blocks and Carroll posted the Terriers' only assist. Bradstreet headed the guests' defensive efforts with three steals.
Perine and Plunkett each registered a block on the day while sophomore Maeve Foley (Wethersfield, Conn.), Bamford, and Irwin put up an assist each, the only three the Colonels would post. Irwin also recorded team highs in points (18), rebounds (9), and steals (8), nearly managing the elusive triple-double.
Curry will play next on Thursday, January 3rd at 5:30pm at home against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Salve Regina. Thomas will resume action at home at 2:00pm on Saturday, January 5th versus Colby-Sawyer in a non-conference tilt.
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