MILTON, Mass. – Junior Molly Plunkett (Quincy, Mass.) recorded a double-double as she scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Curry College women's basketball team pick up a 47-42 win over Wentworth Institute of technology in the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener for both teams.
With the win the Colonels improve to 4-3 overall while the Leopards fall to 1-4.
Curry used a 13-0 run in the first quarter to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 15-3 lead after freshman Gina Coote (Dedham, Mass.) hit a three pointer with 3:31 left in the opening frame and would lead, 18-6, after the first 10 minutes of the contest.
Holding the Colonels scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the second quarter, Wentworth pulled within five (18-13) after a three pointer from freshman Erin Morton (Norway, Maine). A 6-0 spurt brought Curry's lead to 24-13 with 4:02 left after Coote hit one of two free throws. Four straight points late in the quarter from senior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.), including a basket just before time expired, made it a 28-19 game at the half.
Neither team scored for the first 1:47 of the third quarter until a Plunkett jumper, which she followed with a three pointer 40 seconds later, upped the lead to 14 (33-19). Wentworth netted its first points of the quarter at nearly the halfway point on a layup from junior Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.). The Leopards scored the final four points of the third quarter, which came on two free throws from McCloskey and a layup from Morton, to make it 39-28.
Wentworth held Curry to 12.5 percent shooting in the fourth quarter and made a run late. After sophomore Caroline Kilduff (Rockland, Mass.) gave the Colonels a 43-30 lead with a jumper with 7:17 left, the Black & Gold held the hosts without a point for the next 4:16 and would keep Curry without a field goal for the remainder of the contest. The Leopards closed the gap to seven on a three from Morton with 51 seconds left and one of two free throws and a late basket from McCormick cut the deficit to five, however, Wentworth would get no closer.
Plunkett's 20 points came on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor and she also had a pair of assists and a pair of steals. Coote also recorded double figures, scoring 10 points. Senior Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) had a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with a pair of clocked shots. Curry had a 53-23 rebounding advantage.
Morton finished the game with a team-high eight points, while McCormick had seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and sophomore Emily Magasic (West Milford, N.J.) also added seven points.
Wentworth hosts Eastern Nazarene on Saturday.
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