WENHAM, Mass. – The Curry College women's basketball team hit the road to face Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Gordon College on Tuesday evening, but came up short, falling by a score of 79-53. After the loss, the Colonels sit at 4-15 on the year with a 2-8 mark in the CCC. The Fighting Scots improve to 6-3 in league play, while rising to 11-7 overall.
The Scots took an early 4-0 lead over the game's opening two minutes, but Kaitlynn Smith (Hull, Mass.) got Curry on the board with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just one. Back-and-forth scoring kept the game close as the score moved to 8-7 in favor of Gordon with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter. However, Curry's offense hit a lull and their hosts took advantage, stretching their advantage to 10 points at 17-7. The Colonels answered back with a couple of baskets before the frame concluded, but Gordon boasted a 17-11 edge as the second quarter got underway.
In the second quarter's first minute, Lillian Gray (Brooksville, Maine) and Meghan Foley (Malden, Mass.) nearly went bucket-for-bucket with each other, combining for three triples in less than 30 seconds. A minute-and-a-half later, another three-pointer, this time by Kai. Smith, brought the score to 22-20, taking the Colonels back to within one possession of the lead. Despite the team's early scoring in the frame, Curry once again hit a speed bump, as their offense stayed scoreless until a free throw ended the drought with three minutes on the clock. After Gordon nearly lost their lead, they once again capitalized on their guests' quiet offense, as the Scots brought a 40-24 lead into halftime.
A pair of scores by Gordon kicked things off in the third, extending the lead to 20 points. Neither team managed to create much momentum in the frame, but the Scots remained squarely in control. After Katie Smith (East Bridgewater, Mass.) converted a pair of free throws with 3:27 to play, the lead returned to 19 at 50-31. As the stanza wrapped up, the hosts retained a healthy lead, bringing a 59-35 advantage into the fourth.
The Colonels faced a steep uphill climb in the final quarter and continued to fight, even managing to cut the lead down again to 20 after another triple by Kai. Smith. However, the Scots continued to excel in each facet of the competition, wrapping up the game not only with a 79-53 victory, but also with leads in rebounds (46-31), points in the paint (36-22), assists (21-11), steals (13-7), and points off turnover (27-12).
Despite the loss, Kai. Smith topped all players with 20 points. Sisters Katie and Kirsten Smith (East Bridgewater, Mass.) once again shared the team lead in assists with three each, while Gina Coote (Dedham, Mass.) racked up seven boards. All five starters pitched in double-digit scoring efforts for the host, led by Foley with 18. Serianna Anderson (Newcastle, Wash.) registered a game-high five helpers, while senior Sarah Gibbs (Elizabethtown, Pa.) notched her ninth double-double of the year with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Both teams will get back to work after the calendar turns to February. The Colonels will remain on the road to face the Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday, February 5 at 5:30 p.m. In the teams' first match-up on January 7, the Colonels came out victorious with a 63-55 triumph in Milton. The Scots will stay home to celebrate Senior Day, as they welcome in Endicott on Saturday, February 1, tipping off at 1:00 p.m. Gordon will look to sweep the season series after topping the Gulls in a high-scoring affair on January 9 with a final score of 90-82.
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