For Immediate Release
February 20, 2008
Wellesley Sports Information
Courtesy Clark Sports Information
Wellesley Basketball Downs Clark University
Box Score
Worcester, MA -- The Wellesley College basketball team
used a late rally to overtake Clark University, 70-68 in a New
England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game on Wednesday night in Worcester.
The first half was tightly played with 12 lead changes and neither team
gaining a lead larger than four points. Two early blocks from Camilleri
led to four straight points from Roderigue, giving Clark a 6-3 advantage.
The teams exchanged baskets until Roderigue was fouled on a lay-up for a
three point play giving Clark a 27-23 lead, the largest for either team
in the half.
Wellesley took a 31-29 lead with just over two minutes to go
with a pair of free throws from Julia
Thomas (Concord, Cali.), but Roderigue hit an inside
jumper to tie the game at 31-all heading into the break.
The Cougars took a 15-4 run to open the second to go up 46-35, the
largest lead of the game. Wellesley pushed back in, however, moving to
within four (52-48) on a trey off the glass from Thomas. Courtney Richter (Sinking Spring, Pa.) tied the
game for Wellesley with another three to knot the score at 61-all with
3:41 to play.
The teams traded baskets until Jessica Duff
(Milton, Abingdon, UK) converted a conventional three-point
play that gave the Blue a 69-68 lead with 0:21 ticks on the clock.
Richter hit another basket from the charity stripe with 0.6 left to ice
the victory.
Sarah Roderigue put up a game-high 25 points with six
rebounds and three assists in the loss. Sara Hagstrom scored
nine points with nine assists.
Four players hit double figures for Wellesley to earn the victory. Thomas netted 17 points with 8 rebounds, Duff and Courtney Pelley (Leicester, Mass.) each scored
16, and Richter chipped in with 10. Katie Martore (Great Falls, VA) also turned in an excellent performance with eight points and eight assists.
The loss drops the Cougars to 4-8 in the NEWMAC (8-15 overall) while
Wellesley draws even with Clark’s conference record and 7-15 overall.
To commemorate the “Think Pink” initiative both the Clark and Wellesley
teams wore pink warm-up shirts and shoelaces for the game. The Women’s
Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) established the “Think Pink”
initiative, a global, unified effort to assist in raising breast cancer
awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.
Clark next heads to Wheaton College on Saturday (2 pm) while Wellesley
travels to Smith the same day (2 pm).