Wellesley Falls to Clark in Overtime, 64-61

WELLESLEY, Mass. – On "Pink Zone" night at Wellesley College, the Blue fell short despite a strong comeback,dropping a hard-fought game to Clark University. The win lifts the Cougars to 13-11 on the season, 9-3 in NEWMAC play. Wellesley falls to 10-10 overall, 4-9 in conference competition.

The Cougars opened the game with an 8-0 lead, as Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, ME) hit two early jumpers. Robyn Burleson (Seattle, WA) tallied six of Blue's first eight points, keeping Wellesley close while holding the visitors to a 16-8 lead at the 13:00 mark.

The squads remained scoreless for the next four minutes until a running jumper from Michelle Chambers (Bronx, NY) pushed the lead to 18-8. Julia Thomas (Concord, CA) responded with two layups for the Blue, but Clark answered with five straight points, including a trey from Sara Hagstrom (Yarmouth, ME), to open a 23-12 lead.

With four minutes remaining in the half, Wellesley went on a five-point run of its own, capped off with a three-pointer from Courtney Richter (Sinking Springs, PA), cutting the lead to 23-17. Two Cougar buckets quickly stretched the lead back to 10, but a layup from Jessica Duff (Milton, Abingdon, UK) and jumper from Richter cut into the Clark advantage. Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, MA) sank a jumper to give the visitors what appeared to be a 29-21 halftime lead, but Duff hit a 10-footer at the buzzer to send the teams into the break with the Cougars up 29-23.

Ivori Aiken (Harlem, NY) opened the second period for Clark with a two-pointer, but Duff answered with a trey for the Blue, trimming the lead to five. A running jumper from Richter pulled the Blue to within three at 31-28, but a three-pointer from Aiken pushed the lead back to six with 16:20 left in the game. The squads then traded baskets before two freethrows from Thomas once again pulled the Blue to within three, at 36-33. After a freethrow for the visitors, Thomas drained a 20-footer and a layup to tie the game at 37-37 with 11:31 remaining.

After four minutes of tight defense from both teams, a layup from Duff gave Wellesley its first lead of the contest at 40-39. Another Blue defensive stop was followed by a layup from Lindsay Migliore (Allen Park, MI) to give the Blue a three-point edge. Aiken's jumper stopped the bleeding for the Cougars, but a putback from Duff kept the lead at three, 44-41 with 5:50 left in the game.

Clark anwered with six straight points, including an 8-footer from Roderique and two freethrows from Camilleri, giving them a 47-44 lead. Wellesley answered with a conventional three-point play from Duff and a trey from Richter, giving the Blue a narrow 50-47 edge with 2:20 left. A layup from Duff extended the lead to five, but Hagstrom's three-pointer put the score at 52-50. Aiken followed with two points from the charity stripe to tie the game at 52-52 with :45 seconds remaining. Wellesley managed one more defensive stop, but a last-second 30-footer from Elisha Orama (Miramar, FL) rimmed out at the buzzer, pushing the game to overtime.

Clark opened the extra period with an 8-2 run, including back-to-back treys from Roderigue, to take a 60-54 lead with 2:30 left. Another Cougar bucket pushed the lead to eight, but Wellesley answered with five straight points to trim the lead to 62-59. The teams traded baskets once again to push the score to 64-61, which would prove to be the final score despite a last-second shot from the Blue.

Roderigue led the visitors with 19 points and eight rebounds. Camilleri added 16 points and 14 boards, while Aiken chipped 12 points. Hagstrom dished out five assists for Clark while tallying nine points, including two from behind the arc.

Thomas and Duff both notched double-doubles for the Blue, with Thomas tallying 20 points and 17 rebounds as Duff recorded 18 points and 19 boards. Richter added 12 points and four assists in the loss.

The Cougars return to action on Saturday, February 21, at 1:00 p.m., when they host Wheaton in a key late-season NEWMAC match-up.  In their final home game of the 2008-09 campaign, the Blue will host Smith College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.