MILTON, Mass. - Wellesley College (2-0) topped Saint Joseph's College (1-1), 58-44, in the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
After securing their first win of the season last night, St. Joe's got game two started with a bang, as they scored the game's first seven points over the opening 3:29. The Blue stormed back quickly, however, and trailed by just three at the first break, 11-8.
Just over one minute into the second quarter, Wellesley took their first lead of the day at 12-11, as a jumper by Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) found its target. A Lily Forrester (Hamilton, Va.) three stretched the Blue's lead to 22-16, but the Monks closed the half on a 5-2 run, capped by a triple from Alyson Fillion (Bedford, N.H.), which cut the Wellesley lead to just 24-23 at the intermission.
As the second half got started, the Monks retained the momentum they had gained at the end of the first half, scoring five unanswered points to take a 28-24 lead. The Blue responded quickly though, knotting the score at 28-28 and prompted a Monks timeout. Over the final seven minutes of the half, the Blue slowly rebuilt their lead, as a pair of converted free throws by Alyssa Cho (Hillsborough, Calif.) made the score 40-35 in favor of Wellesley, which held through the end of the third quarter.
Two minutes into the fourth, the teams traded buckets that made the score 42-38, but they would be the only field goals of the frame's first five minutes. Sophie Giardina (Bradenton, Fla.) got the Monks back to within three at 43-40 with 4:54 left to play, but the Blue responded with a jumper and a pair of free throws to retain their advantage. A couple of free throws by St. Joe's senior Julia Quinn (Fryebrug, Maine) brought the score to 49-44, but it would be all Blue from then on, as Wellesley closed the game on a 9-0 run to take the championship game by a score of 58-44.
The Blue were led by Cho's 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a game-high four steals. Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) registered a game-high 21 points for the Monks, while Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) tallied six rebounds off the bench. Despite the loss, Quinn and Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, N.H.) each contributed three assists, which led all players.
The Blue (2-0) will continue their schedule with their home opener on Tuesday, November 19 as they host the Wentworth Institute of Technology for a 7:00 p.m. game. The Monks (1-1) will also open their home slate, as they welcome in their rivals to the south, the University of New England, for a 5:30 p.m. match-up on Wednesday, November 20.
COURTESY OF CURRY COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
