Sophomore Caitlin Aguirre was one of six Wellesley players in double figures with a game-high 23 points (Julia Monaco).
Sophomore Caitlin Aguirre was one of six Wellesley players in double figures with a game-high 23 points (Julia Monaco).

Wellesley Basketball Routs Pine Manor In Non-Conference Action, 91-27

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Sophomore Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas) scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while classmate Emily Kopp (King Ferry, N.Y.) registered her first career double-double to lead Wellesley College basketball to a 91-27 non-conference victory over visiting Pine Manor College on Tuesday evening at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

Wellesley got out to a 49-15 lead at halftime, improving to 5-13 overall with the victory in the first meeting between the schools since the 1986-87 season. Pine Manor is now 5-13 overall. 

Aguirre finished 10-for-16 from the field and was one of six Wellesley players in double-figures along with Kopp, who scored a career-high 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) racked up a game-high seven assists and added 11 points, as the Blue finished the game 38-for-66 (57.6%) from the floor as a team. 

Pine Manor senior Shaneka Monroe (Jersey City, N.J.) totaled team-highs in points, with 10, and rebounds, with four, but was also forced into a team-high seven of the Gators 37 turnovers. Classmate Erica Jones (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in with four points, but overall the visitors struggled on the offensive end of the floor, shooting just 24.4% (11-of-45) in the game. 

Wellesley opened the game on a 10-0 run, en route to scoring the most points in a game for the program since the Blue beat MIT 98-56 in January of 2009. The Gators closed the gap to 16-7 in the early going, but eight straight points from the Blue, capped by a layup from senior Chelsea Brown (San Jose, Calif.) in the final minute of the first, put the Blue up 24-7 going into the second. 

The Blue continued to add to their lead in the second quarter, opening the stanza on a 6-0 run before taking the 49-15 lead at the break. Aguirre then dropped in seven points as the Blue forced 13 turnovers in the third quarter and outscored the Gators 22-8 in the first ten minutes after the break. Wellesley eventually led by as many as 64 points in the closing seconds of the 91-27 victory. 

The Blue finished the game with a 42-22 advantage on the glass, scoring 58 points in the paint and 48 points off of Pine Manor turnovers. 

Wellesley will jump back into New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday when they host Clark at 2:00 PM. Pine Manor will play at Mitchell in their next contest on Thursday, January 25, at 6:00 PM.