Worcester, Mass. – Sam O'Gara (Worcester, Mass.) returned from a bloody nose in the fourth quarter to spark host Clark to a thrilling 65-55 win over Wellesley College in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Kneller Athletic Center.

The win for the Cougars snaps a nine-game losing streak that dates back to before Thanksgiving and sends their overall record to 3-10 overall, but more importantly give them their first win in conference games (1-4).

For the Blue, meanwhile, they have now dropped three straight to slip to 3-9.

Clark looked to be in control in the waning seconds of the third when O'Gara found Aretha Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.) open for a three-pointer with eight seconds left in the quarter, making the score, 44-35. O'Gara was injured on the play and Wellesley immediately took advantage of her absence as Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) drove the length of the court and scored at the buzzer to inch the visitors closer.

The lead was down to four midway through the final frame after a pair of Chelsi Scott (Portland, Mich.) free throws, when O'Gara returned and immediately sank a pair of freebies to slow down the Wellesley momentum.

Later, after Chelsea Brown (San Jose, Calif.) found Scott inside for another hoop, the Scarlet and White were still ahead by just four at 55-51 with exactly three minutes to play.

A few possessions later, O'Gara worked her magic again, finding Sullivan for another three-pointer – this one putting the Cougars ahead by seven with less than two minutes to play.

The Blue got to within five with less than a minute to play, but Haley Wilder (Rindge, N.H.) scored inside and Clark made three of four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

Wellesley was ahead for almost the entire first half after jumping out to early leads of 7-0 and 13-4 in the first quarter as Scott asserted her inside presence.

Clark answered back with consecutive three-pointers from Torieanna Saint Pierre (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Cori Ouellette (Madison, Conn.) to make the score 13-10 but Scott beat the buzzer at the end of the first to give the visitors a five point edge.

The Blue's lead was at eight (22-14) midway through the second period following a Jang three-pointer but the Cougars went on a 12-1 run over the final 4:31 of the half that was capped by a Kacey Legare (Chicopee, Mass.) layup on the fast break and a Legare three-pointer with less than ten seconds in the half that gave the Scarlet and White their first lead at 26-23 – a lead that they would never relinquish.

Neither team shot the ball extremely well, with the Blue hitting 41 percent of their attempts and Clark connecting on just 34 percent.

Clark held a slight edge on the glass, 40-34, but Wellesley had a 24-20 advantage on points in the paint.

Scott ended with a game-best 19 points, six boards and three blocks before fouling out, while Jang did a little bit of everything, totaling nine points, eight rebounds and six assists and Allis Hanley () just missed out on a double-double with eight points and nine boards.

The Cougars were paced by Sullivan, who finished with 14 points and seven boards, while Wilder and Gwyneth Ivory (Ashland, Mass.) each added ten points. O'Gara, meanwhile, chipped in with seven points, four steals and four assists.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday with conference contests. Wellesley plays hosts to Coast Guard, while the Cougars visit MIT.