Blue Basketball Drops NEWMAC Finale at Springfield, 49-36
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wellesley (14-8,6-4 NEWMAC) | 2 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 36 |
|
Springfield (18-6,10-1 NEWMAC) | 14 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 49 |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Springfield College opened the game on a 14-0 run and never trailed en route to a 49-36 victory over Wellesley College basketball in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday at Blake Arena.
Springfield improves to 18-7 overall and 9-1 in conference play. Wellesley ends the regular season with a 14-8 record and a 6-4 mark in the NEWMAC. The Pride will host a NEWMAC quarterfinal match-up when the conference tournament opens on Wednesday, with the Blue expected to start the postseason on the road.
First year Sam Hourihan (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Pride. Sophomores Stephanie Lyons (Boston, Mass.) and Grace Dzindolet (Holliston, Mass.) added nine points and eight points, respectively, helping the Springfield bench outscore the Blue 19-12.
Senior Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas) scored a game-high 13 points to lead the Blue. Classmate Emily Kopp (King Ferry, N.Y.) dropped in seven points, pulled down five rebounds, and added two steals. First year Taylor Hirn (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) finished with six rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes.
Springfield outscored the Blue 14-2 in the first quarter, scoring the game's first 14 points before Kopp got the Blue on the board with a jumper in the final minute. The Pride continued to lead by 12 for most of the second quarter, taking a 14-point advantage into the break when Goslin hit a layup at 1:10 to make the score 22-8 at halftime.
The Blue outscored Springfield 28-27 after the break but couldn't rally from the 14-point first half deficit. Aguirre scored all 13 of her points after halftime but Wellesley only cut the Springfield lead to nine early in the third quarter. The Pride would go on to lead by as many as 20 points in the early stages of the fourth before closing out the 49-36 victory.
The Pride finished the game shooting 34.6% (18-of-52) from the floor and 3-of-13 from three-point range. Wellesley countered at 26.4% (14-of-53) and was 2-of-12 from distance. Springfield finished with a 44-32 advantage in rebounds and scored 19 points off of nine Wellesley turnovers.
The NEWMAC Women's Basketball Championship begins with quarterfinal play at campus sites on Wednesday, February 26.