New Haven, Conn. – The visiting Connecticut College women's basketball team defeated Albertus Magnus College, 86-52, on Thursday evening in non-conference action at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center. The Falcons see their seven-game winning streak come to an end with the setback to move to 13-7 overall, while the Camels bounced back from a loss on Tuesday to improve to 16-4 on the year.
Connecticut College started the contest at a torrid pace, knocking down its first eight shots from the field, including five from beyond the arc, to build an early 21-8 edge over the first four and a half minutes of play. During the first quarter, the Camels shot an impressive 76 percent (13-of-17) from the field and hit all six of their three-point attempts. On the opposite end, Albertus Magnus hit just 5-of-16 in the opening frame and missed their only attempt from beyond the arc.
Freshman guard Kylie Caouette paced the guests during the first quarter, scoring nine points to go along with two rebounds and two assists.
The Falcons bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring the Camels, 14-12, behind five points from junior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.) and four from classmate Megan Thornton (Worcester, Mass.). Connecticut College emptied out their bench in the stanza with six different players scoring. With under 20 seconds remaining in the opening half, AMC sophomore guard Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) converted an old fashioned three-point play to close out the scoring with the hosts trailing 44-25 at the half.
The Camels led by double digits throughout the remainder of the tilt. The Falcons cut the deficit to 14 early in the third quarter, but Connecticut College would answer to stretch its lead to as many as 34 late in the fourth.
Falcigno paced the Falcon attack with a game-high 17 points thanks to a 9-of-10 showing from the charity stripe. The 5-7 guard also added a pair of treys to go along with two assists and two steals. AMC senior point guard Olivia Sutherland (Wallingford, Conn.) was the other Falcon in double figures with 10 points. Thrust into a starting role, Thornton had her best game of the winter with eight points to go along with four rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Sophomore forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) added nine points and 10 rebounds for the hosts to fall one point shy of a double-double.
It was a balanced offensive effort from Connecticut College, as four players scored in double figures and seven netted eight or more points. Junior guard Liz Malman had a team-high 12 points and added five assists. Senior Willa McKinley, sophomore Mairead Hayes and senior center Jenna Lovett all poured in 11 points apiece. Off the bench, Lovett hit 3-of-5 from the field 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to go along with five rebounds and a block.
The guests were dominate on the block, outrebounding the hosts, 54-31, and outscoring Albertus Magnus, 36-12, in the paint. Connecticut College never trailed in the contest and shot 10-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Falcons shot below 27 percent for the second time this season (both losses) and hit just 3-of-10 from three-point range.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, February 6, with a road Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash with Lasell at 2:00 pm. The Falcons have won five of the las six meetings against the Lasers.
For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
