BOSTON, Mass. -- Sophomore guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) scored 15 points to lead the Simmons University women's basketball team in a 78-49 loss to visiting Clark University this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks fall to 1-6 on the season, while the Cougars improve to 3-3.

Clark held Simmons to just 25.5% (14-55) shooting and forced the home team into 22 turnovers, while outscoring the Sharks, 25-7 in points off turnovers.

Stapelfeld was 7-9 from the free throw line and added three rebounds and two assists, while senior guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) came off the bench to net nine points and grab a rebound in 20 minutes of action. 

Senior guard Maya Kerstetter (Northampton, Mass.) scored a game-high 16 points and was 5-9 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers and added four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot for the Cougars, while sophomore forward Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass.) netted 13 points and grabbed 13 boards in addition to a pair of blocked shots and a steal. Senior guard Sam O'Gara (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points, nine assists, four rebounds and a steal.

Stapelfeld converted one of two free throws to pull the Sharks to within 23-20 with 5:30 left in the second quarter, but Clark put together a 19-5 run to close out the half, fueled by seven points from Kerstetter and the final five points of the half coming from O'Gara, to give the Cougars a comfortable 42-25 halftime advantage. 

Clark scored the first nine points of the third quarter as part of a 13-2 stretch that saw Kerstetter score nine points to help the visitors to a 55-27 lead with 5:01 to go in the third period. Senior center Ogechi Ezemma (Hope Valley, R.I.) later knocked down one of two free throws to give the Cougars the final point of the quarter and a 66-36 lead with 1:26 remaining on the clock. 

First year guard Elyssa Jackson (Warren, N.J.) hit a jumper at the 5:33 mark of the fourth quarter to give Clark its largest lead of the night at 76-41, before Simmons ripped off eight straight points to cut the deficit to 76-49 with 2:41 left in the game. O'Gara scored the final points of the night on a layup at 2:17 to set the final tally at 78-49. 

The teams played even through almost seven minutes of play to start the game with the score tied at 10-10 following a three-pointer from SU senior forward Molly Phillips (Cranston, R.I.). O'Gara sank a pair of free throws to give the Cougars their biggest margin of the opening quarter at 15-10, before senior guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) banked in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to pull the Sharks to within 15-13 at the end of one period of play.

Senior guard Kacey Legare (Chicopee, Mass.) later gave Clark a 23-17 cushion with 6:38 showing in the second quarter, before Simmons cut the deficit to 23-20. 

The Sharks return to action on Tuesday, December 4 when they travel o Franklin, Mass. to take on Dean College at 7:00 p.m., while the Cougars return to the Boston area on December 1 with a trip across the river to take on Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference season opener at 1:00 p.m.