Simmons Outlasts Women's Basketball

BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's basketball team dropped a non-conference contest to COF foe Simmons College, 61-49, on Saturday afternoon inside Moore Gymnasium.

Just over five minutes into the contest, both teams were tied 8-8, before a quick 9-2 run gave Simmons a 17-10 lead after the first quarter. Junior Maya Spencer (Georgetown, Mass.) sliced the deficit to four points with an opening three-pointer for Wentworth, as a quick 5-2 charge made the score 19-16. Sophomore Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) made her first dent from behind the arc with 7:19 left in the half, tying the score 19-19. With 4:51 on the clock, McGibbon broke the drought with a shot from downtown, and use a layup from sophomore Erin Morton (Norway, Maine) to build a 24-19 advantage. Morton, with the help of classmate Molley Duclos (Greenfield, Mass.), kept the Leopards out in front until the halftime buzzer, as the scoreboard read 30-26.

Simmons came firing out of the gates after the break, as senior Molly Phillips (Cranston, R.I.) single handedly deadlocked the score 30-30 with a three-pointer and a made free throw. A 10-4 run from Simmons gifted the lead back to the hosts, thanks to six points from junior Kirra Courchesne (Wilmington, Vt.). Simmons continued to build on their advantage and never surrendered the lead to hold on for the 61-49 final.

Morton led the Leopard offense with 12 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line while adding four assists and four steals. McGibbon drained 3-of-6 shots from three-point territory and scored a season-high 11 points in the effort, while senior Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) led the Leopards on the boards with nine rebounds.  

Wentworth (0-9) will play its final home game of 2018 on Thursday with a 4:00 p.m. tipoff against Bridgewater State.

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