BOSTON, Mass. – The Simmons College women's basketball team fell to visiting Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 55-47, this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks fall to 1-4 on the season, while the Trailblazers improve to 4-3.
Massachusetts College held Simmons to just 27.3% (18-66) from the floor, including 5-22 (22.7%) from three-point range and saw three players net double-digits in the win.
Sophomore guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) led the Sharks with 11 points in addition to grabbing four rebounds and handing out two assists. Junior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) contributed with eight points, nine boards, four steals, two assists and a block, while senior forward Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) dropped in seven points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in 19 minutes off the bench.
Senior forward Kayla Hotaling (Ravena, N.Y.) finished a rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards to go with three assists for the Trailblazers, while senior guard Courtney McLaughlin (Pittsfield, Mass.) scored a game-high 13 points and added four rebounds, an assist, a block and a game-high five steals. Sophomore guard Karina Mattera (Johnston, R.I.) finished with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Corsinetti drained a three-pointer to give Simmons a 7-5 lead with 6:41 left in the opening quarter, but never led again for the remainder of the contest as MCLA closed out the half on a 10-2 run, with Hotaling and McLaughlin combining for eight points to give the visitors a 15-9 lead after one quarter of play. The Trailblazers scored the first three points of the second quarter to increase their lead to 18-9 at the eight-minute mark, before the Sharks chipped away to close to within 20-14 following a Silva lay-up with 4:12 to go in the second period. The MCLA defense held Simmons at bay and registered a double-digit margin for the first time following a made free throw from McLaughlin to give the Trailblazers a 27-17 advantage with 41 ticks left in the half.
MCLA owned a 29-21 halftime lead and pushed its advantage to 31-21 after senior guard Ashley Clawson (Tolland, Conn.) scored the first points of the second stanza on a layup. The Sharks scored the next eight points, including four from senior forward Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to 31-29 with 7:14 showing on the third quarter clock. The Trailblazers regained their composure and built a 38-31 cushion, but Simmons reeled off five unanswered points, capped by a three-pointer from Kimberlee Hixon (Taunton, Mass.) to bring the home team to within 38-36 with 1:50 left in the quarter.
MCLA closed out the period with four straight points and scored the first five points of the fourth quarter as part of a 9-0 run, paced by five points from Mattera to take the biggest lead of the night at 47-36 with 8:21 remaining in the contest. The Sharks stayed within two possessions for the majority of the quarter and cut the margin to 51-47 following a Corsinetti trifecta with 1:16 to play, but it was as close as they would get for the rest of the night as the Trailblazers netted the final four points of the game.
Simmons returns to action on Saturday, December 10 when it plays its last game of the calendar year with a 1:00 p.m. tilt vs. visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Moore Gymnasium, while MCLA hosts Union College at 12:00 p.m. on the same day.