WENHAM, Mass. -- Senior guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Simmons University women's basketball team in a 72-67 loss to host Gordon College this evening at the Gordon Classic at the Bennett Center in Wenham, Mass. The Sharks fall to 0-2 on the season, while the Fighting Scots improve to 1-2.
Gordon shot 45% (27-60) from the field and owned a plus-12 rebounding advantage of 49-37.
The teams were tied nine times throughout the contest and traded the lead 15 times, before the Fighting Scots took the lead for good late in the fourth quarter.
Carroll was one of four Simmons players to net double-digits and added six rebounds three assists and a pair of steals, while senior forward Molly Phillips (Cranston, R.I.) contributed with 15 points, six rebounds, a pair of assists and a block. Sophomore guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists the Sharks. Senior guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) dropped in 11 points, pulled down five rebounds and handed out an assist.
Meghan Foley led Gordon with a game-high 26 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals, while Sarah Gibbs posted a monster double-double of 23 points and 18 rebounds to go with three steals and a pair of blocks. Brook Dyson also chipped in with 14 points.
The teams traded leads throughout the contest and the score remained a three-point or fewer deficit for most of the contest, until the Owls took a six-point advantage late in the opening half. Gibbs sandwiched a pair of lay-ups for Gordon, around a jumper from Simmons junior Kirra Courchesne (Wilmington, Vt.), to make it a 50-44 lead with 2:23 left in the final period. The Fighting Scots took a 52-50 lead into the final quarter and Dyson scored the first lay-up of the fourth quarter to give the home team a 54-50 lead with 9:51 showing.
The Sharks defense clamped down on Gordon, while the offense reeled off seven unanswered points, including a three-pointer from sophomore guard Suzie Cosme (Framingham, Mass.) and a jumper from sophomore forward Denae Douglas (Towson, Md.) to take a 57-54 lead with 7:10 to go in the final period of play. The Fighting Scots finally countered with a pair of free throws from Meghan Foley, but Simmons took its largest lead of the night at 62-56, following a three-pointer from Carroll with 5:44 remaining in the game.
The Gordon defense matched its counterparts, holding the Sharks without a point over the next four-plus minutes until Courchesne converted one of two free throws for Simmons to pull the Sharks to within 66-63 with 1:34 showing on the clock. It was as close as Simmons would get. The Fighting Scots led by as many as seven for the rest of the way.
The Sharks return to action tomorrow when they take on Old Westbury at 1:00 p.m., while Gordon plays College of New Rochelle at 3:00 p.m.