BRISTOL, R.I. – The Curry College women's basketball team took on the Roger Williams University Hawks on Wednesday evening in its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener. After securing a 79-53 victory, the Hawks sit at 1-1 in league play with a 4-5 record overall, while the Colonels move to 1-8 overall with a 0-1 CCC mark.
The Colonels took control of the scoring early, grabbing leads of 2-0, 5-2, and 8-4, but the hosts stayed close and took their first lead at 9-8 just two minutes into the action. A jumper by Kathryn Dunn (Hanson, Mass.) retook the lead for Curry, but it would be Roger Williams who had the final say in the first quarter, as a bucket from Kendi Barnard (Bedford, N.H.) sent the Hawks to the first break with a 21-20 lead.
On the first possession of the second half, Kristyanna Remillard (Abington, Mass.) gave the lead back to Curry with a score, but a three-pointer from Gabby Jerahian (Quincy, Mass.) pushed the hosts ahead once more, this time for good. The Colonels' offense managed to stay close despite a tough Hawks defense, but entered the half facing a 34-28 score.
Baskets by Dunn and Kaitlynn Smith (Hull, Mass.) would bring the game to 36-32 in the third quarter, but they preceded a scoring drought lasting 5:58 for the Colonels, while the Hawks built a 20-point edge. Curry broke their scoreless streak and took six of the final eight points of the stanza, but Roger Williams enjoyed a 54-38 advantage as the fourth quarter got underway.
The Colonels looked to chip away at the lead, but over the opening four minutes of the final quarter, the Hawks turned in 10 points on 5-6 shooting and just one turnover to keep their visitors out-of-reach. Over the final five minutes of the contest, Roger Williams continued to extend their lead, benefitting from five Colonels turnovers to break off a 15-3 run, which locked up a final score of 79-53.
Karli Opalka (Southbury, Conn.) led the Hawks with 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Sam Leone (Ashland, Mass.) topped the team with six assists. Dunn turned in team-highs in both helpers (4) and points (11), while Amanda Leal (Tyngsboro, Mass.) pitched in seven boards in her first game of the season.
Curry will head back home to take on the Fighting Scots of Gordon College on Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 p.m. in another conference contest. The match-up will be the Colonels' last before the winter break. The Hawks will also remain in-conference on Saturday, as they travel to face the Wentworth Institute of Technology, also at 1:00 p.m. and also in their final contest before a three-week break.
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