MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College women's basketball team hosted day two of the 2019 Curry College Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The hosts took on the Western Connecticut State University Colonials in the first game of the day in the consolation game, before the Wellesley College Blue met the St. Joseph's College of Maine Monks in the championship game later on.
Game One: Western Connecticut 76, Curry 61 (Consolation Game)
After putting up 16 points in the Colonials' season-opener last night, Gabrielle Hurlbert (Thomaston, Conn.) got the scoring started with a three-pointer just 15 seconds into the action. On the Colonels' ensuing possession, Kirsten Smith (East Bridgewater, Mass.) found Gina Coote (Dedham, Mass.), who hit a layup to get the Colonels on the board. Coote struck again, this time with a three, to give the hosts a 5-3 lead, but a layup from Jasmine Caldwell (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) knotted the score at 5-5. Neither team held a lead greater than three points throughout the frame, leading to the first quarter ending in another tie score at 20-all.
As the second quarter got started, back-to-back Western Connecticut three's gave them a six-point edge. A free throw by Ashley Rilley (Orangeburg, N.Y.) brought the score to 32-26 with 4:26 to play in the half, but a triple from Kathryn Dunn (Hanson, Mass.) brought Curry back to within one possession at 32-29. Following Dunn's bucket, both teams remained scoreless for over a minute-and-a-half, until the final 1:03 of the second quarter saw both teams score a pair of points, sending Western Connecticut to the half with a 34-31 advantage.
Out of the break, the Colonial defense played big, as they did not allow their hosts to score a single point through the first five minutes of the second half, building a 46-31 lead in that time. A pair of free throws from Dunn broke Curry's scoring drought, but the Colonials remained in control of the score and took a 57-37 edge into the fourth quarter.
Curry looked to get back into the game as the fourth quarter commenced, outscoring the Colonials 24-19 in the frame. The Colonels' 24 points in the fourth are their most points scored in a quarter so far this season. Western Connecticut, however, never surrendered their lead, keeping their advantage as large as 11 through the full final stanza. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Susana Almeida (Danbury, Conn.) capped the scoring for the match-up with a layup, which helped the Colonials close a 76-61 victory.
In the win, Hurlbert (14 points) and Genesis Torres (Stratford, Conn., 11 rebounds, 2 blocks) led the Colonials. Two players turned in a four helpers for Western Connecticut in Torres and Almeida. Freshman Kristyanna Remillard (Abington, Mass.) turned in a game high 21 points, while Coote grabbed eight boards. Kir. Smith rounded out Curry's leaders with six assists.
The Colonels (0-2) will get back on the court as they visit the Framingham State Rams on Tuesday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. for a non-conference tilt. Western Connecticut (1-1) will also get back to work on Tuesday, as they stay on the road to face Stevens at 7:00 p.m.
Game Two: Wellesley 58, St. Joseph's (Maine) 44 (Championship Game)
After securing their first win of the season last night, St. Joe's got game two started with a bang, as they scored the game's first seven points over the opening 3:29. The Blue stormed back quickly, however, and trailed by just three at the first break, 11-8.
Just over one minute into the second quarter, Wellesley took their first lead of the day at 12-11, as a jumper by Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) found its target. A Lily Forrester (Hamilton, Va.) three stretched the Blue's lead to 22-16, but the Monks closed the half on a 5-2 run, capped by a triple from Alyson Fillion (Bedford, N.H.), which cut the Wellesley lead to just 24-23 at the intermission.
As the second half got started, the Monks retained the momentum they had gained at the end of the first half, scoring five unanswered points to take a 28-24 lead. The Blue responded quickly though, knotting the score at 28-28 and prompted a Monk timeout. Over the final seven minutes of the half of the third, the Blue slowly rebuilt their lead, as a pair of converted free throws by Alyssa Cho (Hillsborough, Calif.) made the score 40-35 in favor of Wellesley, which held through the end of the third quarter.
Two minutes into the fourth, the teams traded buckets that made the score 42-38, but they would be the only field goals of the frame's first five minutes. Sophie Giardina (Bradenton, Fla.) got the Monks back to within three at 43-40 with 4:54 left to play, but the Blue responded with a jumper and a pair of free throws to retain their advantage. A couple of free throws by St. Joe's senior Julia Quinn (Fryebrug, Maine) brought the score to 49-44, but it would be all Blue from then on, as Wellesley closed the game on a 9-0 run to take the championship game by a score of 58-44.
The Blue were led by Cho's 16 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four steals. Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) registered a game-high 21 points for the Monks, while Quinn tallied six rebounds. Despite the loss, Quinn and Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, N.H.) each contributed four assists, which led all players.
The Blue (2-0) will continue their schedule with their home opener on Tuesday, November 19 as they host the Wentworth Institute of Technology for a 7:00 p.m. game. The Monks (1-1) will also open their home slate, as they welcome in their rivals to the south, the University of New England, for a 5:30 p.m. match-up on Wednesday, November 20.
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