WELLESLEY, Mass. - Senior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) netted a game-high 18 points to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team in a 66-47 loss to host Wellesley College this evening at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse in Wellesley, Mass. The Sharks fall to 0-3 on the season, while the Blue improve to 2-1.
The teams were instantly familiar with each other, having played just three days ago in the consolation game of the Vassar Tip-Off Tournament on November 18.
Silva added 12 rebounds to post her first double-double of the season for Simmons and added two assists and a game-high four steals and three blocked shots, while junior forward Molly Phillips (Cranston, R.I.) contributed with nine points, three steals, a block and a rebound. First year guard Jalissa Rodriguez (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes off the bench.
First year Alyssa Cho (Hillsborough, Calif.) dropped in 16 points to lead Wellesley. Cho was 5-for-11 from the floor while also securing a team-high eight rebounds and adding a pair of steals. Senior Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) joined Cho in double figures, finishing with 11 points and seven boards. Sophomore Kendall You Mak (San Francisco, Calif.) chipped in with nine points and six rebounds off the Blue bench.
The Simmons defense held Wellesley to just two points on 1-8 from the floor in the opening quarter and took an 8-2 margin after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Blue found their rhythm in the second stanza, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor to turn a six-point deficit into a seven-point, 30-23, lead at the half. Wellesley tied the contest, 12-12, at 6:17, when a triple from senior Chelsea Brown (San Jose, Calif.) capped a 10-2 run for the home team. The Sharks regained their lead on the next possession, when a layup from first year forward Julia LaMontagne (Amesbury, Mass.) made the score 14-12, and held on to a slim advantage until Wellesley sophomore Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas) knocked down a three to give the Blue their first lead, 21-20, with 2:41 left in the quarter. Wellesley closed out the half on a 12-3 run to take the lead at the break.
The Blue added to their lead in the third quarter, outscoring Simmons 17-14, in a closely contested period. The Sharks scored six straight points to begin the quarter to cut their halftime deficit to 30-29 when Silva hit a layup at 6:08. However, Wellesley held off the visitors' push, as the six-point Simmons run was countered with 10 straight points to extend the Blue advantage to 11, at 40-29, with 2:18 left before the fourth. The Sharks cut the deficit to nine on a pair of occasions, but Jang hit one-of-two free throws at the end of the quarter to make the Wellesley lead 47-37.
The Blue closed out the game in the fourth quarter, taking their largest lead of the night with just 1:01 left when sophomore Emily Kopp (Fing Ferry, N.Y.) secured the 66-47 final with a layup. Wellesley finished the game shooting 42.2% from the floor, while Simmons ended the contest at 32.1%. The Blue also had the advantage on the glass, 40-34.
The Sharks will be in action again on Wednesday, November 29 when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Clark University at 7:00 p.m., while Wellesley returns to the hardwood on November 26, with its own trip to Worcester in a 6:00 PM contest at Worcester State University.
