CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - First year guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) scored a season-high 14 points to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team over host Lesley University, 60-45, this evening at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass. The Sharks improve to 3-4 on the season, while the Lynx fall to 1-8.
Simmons made a season-high 18 steals and combined to outscore Lesley 37-14 in the second and third quarters of play.
Corsinetti knocked down a trio of three-pointers and added four steals, two assists and a pair of rebounds for the Sharks in just 20 minutes of action. She was one of 12 players to score in the game for Simmons. Junior guard Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) chipped in with eight points, four steals and two rebounds, while classmate Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) came off the bench to net seven points, grab three rebounds, block two shots and come up with a steal in 17 minutes of action.
The Sharks jumped out to a 14-4 lead capped by a pair of free throws from first year guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) with 2:29 left in the opening quarter. Junior forward Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) sparked a 6-0 run with four straight points for the Lynx, before first year forward Lauren Brandau (Madison, Conn.) hit a jumper with three ticks left in the quarter to give Simmons a 16-10 lead to head into the second period.
The Sharks maintained a 22-14 advantage with 4:14 showing in the second quarter, before ripping off 10 unanswered points, fueled by a pair of trifectas from Corsinetti, to take a 32-14 cushion with seven seconds left in the period. Sophomore guard Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) canned a three-pointer at the buzzer for the home team to make it a 32-17 score at the intermission.
Simmons scored the first 13 points of the second half to put the contest out of reach at 45-17 with 6:02 to go in the third quarter. A pair of Pereira free throws pulled Lesley to within 47-23 with 3:52 left in the quarter, but the Sharks took their largest lead of the night after scoring six of the final seven points of the period and the first field goal of the fourth quarter to take a 55-24 lead.
Simmons looked to be in cruise control, but the Lynx battled back with a 21-5 run to close out the game. Pereira led the stretch with nine of her game-high 19 points, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks went home with a 60-45 win.
Pereira added three rebounds, three assists and a steal for Lesley, while senior forward Hayley Wirth (Escondido, Calif.) added seven points and six rebounds off the bench.
Simmons will open the second semester with a four-game homestand that will kick off on Saturday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m. vs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Moore Gymnasium, while the Lynx return to play on January 8 when they host Becker College at 7:00 p.m.