Wellesley Basketball Overwhelms Clark in NEWMAC Opener, 79-27

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College basketball opened the game on a 19-2 run and never looked back, defeating visiting Clark University, 79-27, in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

Senior Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas), and first years Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) and Pujita Shukla (Austin, Texas) matched for game-high honors with 16 points apiece, as Wellesley improved to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in conference. Clark slides to 4-12 on the year and 0-1 in the NEWMAC.

Junior Alyssa Cho (Hillsborough, Calif.) and senior Emily Kopp (King Ferry, N.Y.) added 13 and 12 points, respectively, as five Wellesley players finished in double figures. Kopp was one rebound shy of a double-double, while Cho pulled down eight and Shukla and classmate Taylor Hirn (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) each collected seven.

Junior Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass.) had nine points and ten boards to lead Clark, finishing 4-of-16 from the field in 32 minutes of action. Senior Emily Sifferlen (North Andover, Mass.), and sophomores Hallie Johnson (Princeton, Mass) and Ginny Benbow (Durham, Conn.) each chipped in six points. Johnson also pulling down eight rebounds.

Wellesley never trailed in the game, forcing 35 Clark turnovers while limiting the Cougars to 20.8% shooting from the floor. With Wellesley leading 6-0 after the opening two minutes, Sifferlen got Clark on the board with a layup at 7:31. However, the Blue responded with a 13-0 run that was capped by an Aguirre triple at 4:20 of the first to take a 19-2 lead. Aguirre, who had six of her 16 points in the opening quarter, is now just 15 points shy of 1,000 in her Wellesley career.

Clark snapped the 13-0 run with a pair of free throws, but the Blue took a 22-8 lead at the end of the first. The Wellesley advantage continued to grow before halftime, as the Blue used a 16-5 second quarter run to take a 38-13 lead into the break. The Blue continued to dominate play in the second half, outscoring the visitors 41-14 over the final 20 minutes of play. Shukla had 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, while also pulling down five rebounds.

The Blue scored 34 points off turnovers and finished the game shooting 42.5% from the floor (31-of-72). Wellesley had a 51-38 advantage on the glass and a 17-2 edge in second chance points.

Both teams continue conference play on Wednesday evening, January 22, at 7:00 PM. Wellesley will host Coast Guard and Clark will play at crosstown rival WPI. The Blue and Bears played earlier this season in the Championship Game of the Ed Hockenbury Classic at Norwich University, with Coast Guard earning a close 59-53 victory.