New London, N.H. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team extended their winning streak to 10 in a row on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer College by a final score of 63-35 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action inside The Hogan Sports Center.
Freshman Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) led all players with a 27-point performance, while teammate Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points. Sophomore Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) continued her stellar defensive play tallying eight rebounds and three blocks, to go along with an assist, a steal, and seven points.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 63 | Colby-Sawyer 35
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (14-8, 13-2 GNAC) | Colby-Sawyer (2-16, 2-10 GNAC)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colby-Sawyer controlled the first three minutes of play as the hosts opened regulation with the early 7-3 lead capped by a free throw from Courtney Brewster at the 4:46 mark. Shortly after, a free throw from Scott and a layup from Murray-Leach brought the Falcons to within one, 7-6, but another free throw from Brewster pushed the Chargers' lead back-up to two, 8-6, with 2:33 left on the clock.
Albertus and Colby-Sawyer traded baskets for the remainder of the frame with the Falcons on top by one, 11-10, heading into the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Out of the huddle, Colby-Sawyer resumed control offensively, kicking off the second stanza with a 5-0 run to regain the lead, 15-11, just 45 seconds in. Two minutes later, Albertus resumed control of the lead, 20-15, as the visitors put together a 9-0 run behind five points from Murray-Leach and four points from Scott.
However, Colby-Sawyer retaliated with another short spurt that brought the hosts to within one, 20-19, but the Falcons closed out the remaining 5:31 with an 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead into the halftime break, 28-19.
Albertus wasted no time on offense, opening the third quarter with a 13-2 run to extend its lead to double-digits for the first time in the contest, 41-21. Following an Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) layup at the 6:12 mark, Colby-Sawyer broke up the Falcons' run at the 5:56 mark as Marissa Holt put the ball through the net for her 10th point of the game.
The teams traded free throws before the Falcons offense went to work again, closing out the third quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 50-26 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
Colby-Sawyer was unable to stop the Falcons from opening the frame with a 7-1 run that pushed the score to 57-27 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. The Chargers responded with their own 6-0 push on three straight lay-ups to cut the deficit to 57-33 with 3:05 left to play. The Falcons continued to hold the Chargers at bay and closed out the fourth quarter with a 6-2 run to seal the 63-35 road victory.
TEAM STATS
Albertus: 32.0% FG | 13.6% 3PT | 75.0% FT
Colby-Sawyer: 23.6% FG | 12.5% 3PT | 42.9% FT
KEY PERFORMERS
Albertus:
- Jakara Murray-Leach - 27 points (10-20 FG, 2-7 3PT, 5-8 FT) | 7 rebounds | 2 steals
- Caitlyn Scott - 11 points (3-12 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-6 FT) | 4 rebounds | 3 assists | 1 steal
Colby-Sawyer:
- Marissa Holt - 14 points (6-17 FG, 0-6 3PT, 2-6 FT) | 10 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 block
- Megan Molettieri - 5 points (2-10 FG, 1-7 3PT) | 4 rebounds | 1 steal | 2 blocks
- Emily Parent - 6 points (2-12 FG, 2-9 3PT) | 6 rebounds| 1 block
NOTEWORTHY
- This is the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs.
- Following today's win, the Falcons are 8-1 all-time against the Chargers.
- 38 of the Falcons' 63 points were scored in the paint.
- Albertus scored 27 of its points off turnovers.
- Murray-Leach has tallied nine games this season with 20+ points.
- Scott recorded her 15th game this season with at least 10 points.
UP NEXT
The women's basketball team returns home on Sunday, February 13 with a GNAC clash against the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University. Tip-off is set for 12PM inside 'The Nest". Prior to game-time, the women's basketball team and the athletic department will be honoring its lone senior - Katherine Raposo (Warwick, R.I.) - for her hard work and dedication to the team over her time at Albertus.
