For Immediate Release – Jan. 31, 2007
WELLESLEY BASKETBALL
Contact: Kendall Cox
Email: kcox@wellesley.edu
Second-Half Surge Leads Wheaton to 63-53 Victory over Wellesley
WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Wellesley basketball team dropped its second straight New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest, as the Blue fell to visitor Wheaton College, 63-53, on Wednesday evening in Towne Field House. With the loss, Wellesley falls to 4-14 on the season and 1-8 in NEWMAC action, while the Lyons improve to 14-6 overall and 7-1 in the NEWMAC.
Tied at 14-14 just over 13 minutes into the game, four different Wheaton scorers helped the Lyons explode for a 10-2 run to grab a 24-16 advantage with 4:26 remaining in the half. A three-pointer by Blue junior co-captain Courtney Pelley (Leicester, Mass.) triggered nine unanswered points for Wellesley. The lead, however, would prove to be the Blue’s only advantage of the night as a basket from Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, N.Y.) just 24 seconds later put the visitors on top for good.
After holding a 28-25 edge at the intermission, the Lyons worked to expand their lead in the second stanza. A three from Bri Smith (Westford, Mass.) with 13:16 left to play helped Wheaton regain a double-digit advantage, and from there the Lyons stretched their lead to as many as 17 on three separate occasions. The Blue was plagued by 25 turnovers and 59.1 percent shooting (13-of-22) from the line, while the Lyons connected on almost 90 percent of their free throws on the night, including 10-of-11 in the second half.
Three Wellesley players scored in double-digits. Jessica Duff (Milton Abingdon, England) led all scorers with 17 points and seven rebounds, Courtney Richter (Sinking Springs, Pa.) netted 13 points, and Pelley added 10 in the loss.
Samara Audet (Derry, N.H.) paced the Lyons with 14 points, and Krystin Hickey (Manchester, N.H.) chipped in 13 points. Kim McCormack (Milton, Mass.) turned in a solid effort with eights points and seven rebounds on the night.
The Blue will hit the road on Saturday when the team travels to Springfield College for a 1 p.m. NEWMAC game, while Wheaton will host Smith that same day at 2 p.m.
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