Barrow Pushes Blue Basketball Past Elms, 65-58

WELLESLEY, Mass. – First year Trinity Barrow (Evans, Ga.) nearly recorded a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists to propel Wellesley College basketball to a closely contested 65-58 non-conference win over Elms College at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Barrow connected on all seven free throw attempts for the Blue (3-3 Overall) and added three steals. Senior Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) and sophomore Yitzel Serna (Palmdale, Calif.) both had 14 points while first year Anna Bandini (Raleigh, N.C.) pulled down 13 rebounds.

Senior Rahmia Johnston (Trumbull, Conn.) contributed 33 points on 13-of-28 shooting for the Blazers (4-3 Overall) and grabbed a team-high 10 boards. Grad student Julianne Liebow (Townshend, Vt.) recorded six steals and seven rebounds for Elms.

Wellesley put the first four points on the scoreboard but neither team distanced itself from the other in the first quarter, with six total lead changes. A 4-0 run from Barrow gave the Blue a 15-10 lead after one quarter of action.

A 9-0 Wellesley run capped off by a layup from first year Mirella Funari (Phoenix, Ariz.) put the Blue's lead at 14 before Elms registered nine unanswered points of its own. The score read 33-21 in Wellesley's favor at halftime.

The third quarter saw back and forth scoring, and Elms remained within striking distance down 50-41 after three quarters.

A 4-0 run cut the Wellesley lead down to five at 50-45 before the Blue recovered. The Blazers got within one possession at 56-53 after a made jumper from Johnston, but Wellesley capitalized on three pointers from Barrow and Serna. Though Elms brought the deficit down to four at 62-58, the comeback effort was in vein. A made free throw from Serna and a putback layup from Bandini closed out a 65-58 win for the Blue.

Wellesley shot 23-for-69 (33.3%) from the field while Elms was 22-for-67 (32.8%). The Blue outrebounded the Blazers 49-44 and Wellesley took advantage of 20 points off of turnovers.

Both teams will next play on Saturday, December 2 at 1:00 PM. The Blue will welcome Worcester State to Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse while the Blazers travel to Johnson & Wales to begin Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition.