Blue Basketball Falls to Emerson in Wesleyan Tournament Opener, 66-47

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Emerson College junior Kailee Yan (Mercer Island, Wash.) scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Lions to a 66-47 non-conference victory over Wellesley College basketball in the opening round of the Courtyard Tournament at Wesleyan University's Silloway Gymnasium. 

Emerson improves to 2-2 overall with the victory. The Lions and the Blue will meet again in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on February 15, 2020 at Wellesley. The Blue are now 3-1 on the year after opening the season with three straight wins. 

Junior Rachel Davey (Saratoga, Calif.) added 12 points, while senior Quinn Madden (Mokena, Ill.) and junior Sam Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) each chipped in with eight points for the Lions. Boyle also added five rebonds, two steals and a block. Sophomore Katie Beckmann (Sarasota, Fla.) had a game-high seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the Emerson bench.

Wellesley first year Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) finished with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lead the Blue. Senior Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas) added 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists. First year Pujita Shukla (Austin, Texas) contributed seven points, three steals and two assists in the setback.

The Blue got out to an 11-8 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter, but buckets from Natalie Clydesdale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Yan over the final two points gave Emerson a 13-11 advantage after the opening ten minutes. Wellesley countered the take the lead in the second, as a jumper from Lily Forrester (Hamilton, Va.) put the Blue up 20-18 at 6:08. However, Emerson closed the quarter by outscoring Wellesley 14-4 to extend their advantage to eight before the half. 

Davey opened the second half with a triple that set the tone for a big third quarter from the Lions. Davey and Madden each scored eight points in the third, as Emerson outscored the Blue 22-6 to take a 54-30 lead into the fourth quarter. The Lions went on to take the team's largest lead of the game with 5:36 remaining in the fourth, when a layup from Kate Foultz (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) made the score 60-34. The Blue outscored Emerson, 17-12, in the fourth but Emerson went on to close out the 66-47 victory. 

Wellesley will play Mitchell in the Courtyard Tournament consolation game on Saturday, November 23, at 1:00 PM. Emerson will take on the host Cardinals in the tournament championship game on Saturday at 3:00 PM.