Southern Vermont Tops Blue Basketball at Curry Tip-Off Tournament

MILTON, Mass. – Three different players scored in double-figures for the Blue but it wasn't enough, as Wellesley College basketball dropped a 78-62 non-conference decision to Southern Vermont College in the consolation final of the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsi Scott (Portland, Mich.) shot 6-9 from the floor to lead Wellesley (1-4 overall) with 16 points. The senior forward also added six rebounds, six steals and four assists. Junior Ailis Hanley (Cranston R.I.) added 14 points and tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds. Hanley also had a game-best three blocks. Senior Alex Berman (Tucson, Ariz.) chipped in 11 points off the bench on 5-9 shooting. 

Southern Vermont senior Amber Flagg (Windsor, Conn.) scored a game-high 23 points to help the Mountaineers improve to 2-1 on the year. Flagg also grabbed seven boards and came away with five steals. Junior Amber Dow (Vergennes, Vt.) knocked down a game-high four three-pointers to finish with 18 points. Sophomore Danielle Simmons (Rensselear, N.Y.) also finished in double-figures for the Mountaineers, adding 10 points off the bench.

Wellesley opened the contest on a 7-2 run, eventually taking a 12-4 lead when first year Zojajha Ayub (Belle Mead, N.J.) and Scott hit back-to-back shots at 6:22. Southern Vermont countered with nine of the next 11 points in the quarter, closing the gap to 14-13 with 2:24 to play. Wellesley then countered with three straight buckets to extend their advantage to 20-13, before ending the quarter with a 20-16 lead after Dow hit a three for Southern Vermont. 

The Mountaineers turned the tide in the second quarter, outscoring the Blue 20-9 to take a 36-29 advantage into the half. Southern Vermont opened the quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 23-20 lead at 6:18 of the second. Ayub knocked down her second three of the contest to knot the score at 23-all, before the sides exchanged layups to run the score to 25-all with 5:09 to play. Southern Vermont then closed out the quarter by outscoring the Blue 11-4, with Dow leading the way with six points in the frame. 

Flagg poured in 11 of her game-high 23 points in the third quarter, helping the Mountaineers to extend their advantage to 15, at 55-40, by the end of the period. Hanley countered with seven of her 14 points in the third, shooting 3-4 from the floor. Despite her efforts, Southern Vermont still outscored the Blue 19-11 in the quarter. 

Southern Vermont took the largest lead of the game with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, when a layup from sophomore Chloe Longe (Enosburg Falls, Vt.) gave the Mountaineers a 70-50 edge. The Blue continued to chip away at the lead but would get no closer than 15, at 75-60, when first year Breena Butler (Smithtown, N.Y.) hit a three with just 1:21 to play. 

Both teams shot well from the floor, with Southern Vermont knocking down 41% of their shots and the Blue hitting at a 40% clip. The Mountaineers finished the contest with a sizeable 50-34 advantage on the boards.  

Wellesley will open New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday, November 28, when they play a 1:00 PM contest at MIT. Southern Vermont continues non-conference play on Monday, November 30, with a 7:00 PM contest at Sage.