MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College women's basketball team downed the MCLA Trailblazers on Saturday afternoon by a score of 56-43. After the win, the Colonels sit at 2-9, while the Trailblazers fall to 2-8. This was both programs' first game break after their respective winter breaks.
The Trailblazers struck first, as a three-pointer by Kylah Langston (East Hartford, Conn.) gave the hosts a 3-0 advantage. The Colonels stayed close, though, taking their first lead with just under six minutes to play in the first quarter, as Kaitlynn Smith (Hull, Mass.) found Kirsten Smith (East Bridgewater, Mass.) to put Curry up by a score of 8-7, prompting an MCLA timeout. The teams combined for just one four-point lead through the remainder of the frame, as the Trailblazers closed on a 12-10 run to take a 19-18 lead into the second stanza.
A converted free throw by Ka. Smith kicked off the scoring in the second quarter and knotted the score at 19-all. Once again, the foes remained close, as the deficit remained at one possession until a layup by Ka. Smith put the hosts ahead 27-22. Olivia Pressley (Cobleskill, N.Y.) got MCLA back on the board with a bucket of her own, but Kristyanna Remillard (Abington, Mass.) got the points right back for Curry just 20 seconds later. However, these points would be the Colonels' last of the half, as the Trailblazers closed on a 4-0 run to enter halftime down just 29-28.
After a closely contested first half, the Colonel defense cranked up the pressure. A pair of free throws from Pressley gave the visitors a brief lead nearly two minutes into the second half, but Curry jumped on a four-point run of their own before allowing any more points. Langston put in MCLA's only made field goal of the frame with 4:08 remaining to make it 33-32 in favor of Curry, before the Colonels wrapped up the third with 10 unanswered points, making it a 43-32 score.
The hosts continued to build their lead and keep the Trailblazers at bay, as Ki. Smith hit a layup to make the score 45-32. The teams traded triples to return the deficit to 13, but Ki. Smith added to her point total with a pair of free throws to make it a 15-point game with 7:25 to play. Both offenses went quiet over the next several minutes, until Kathryn Dunn (Hanson, Mass.) laid in a basket with just under four minutes to go, making the score 52-35. MCLA managed to cut the lead down to 11 in the time remaining, but the Colonels finished the job and closed out a victory with a final tally of 56-43.
In the win, the Colonels were led by Dunn, who racked up 15 points and 13 rebounds to pick up her second double-double of the season. Ka. Smith topped the team with four assists. Langston turned in 13 points to top the MCLA offense, while she shared the team lead in helpers with Shannon Carney (Averill Park, N.Y.), as they each pitched in a trio of assists. Hannah Mazzeo (Averill Park, N.Y.) matched Dunn's total of 13 boards to earn a share of the game-high.
The Trailblazers will stay on the road to take on the Bridgewater State University Bears in each team's first conference contest of the year. The MASCAC action will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 11. The Colonels will also head back to conference play, as they stay home to host the Wentworth Institute of Technology on Tuesday, January 7. The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foes are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
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