WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark women's basketball team (5-0) closed out their three-game homestand and extended their winning streak to five games with a 78-71 win over Salem State (0-4) on Tuesday night from the Kneller Gymnasium.
How it Happened
- The Cougars jumped to an early 8-3 lead as sophomore Kailey Rios netted five points with a made triple and layup as well a made free throw from graduate student Jacqueline Faulise and a layup from graduate student Alaina Schatzabel.
- After the Vikings scored six straight points, sophomores Olivia Shipley, Catherine Antwi, and Emma Drefs all scored two points as Clark extended their edge to 14-9 with 3:26 to play in the first.
- Faulise and first-year Cyriah Coleman both converted and-ones and two more buckets from Faulise and Coleman gave the Cougars a 24-17 edge heading into the second quarter.
- Schatzabel and Coleman combined to score Clark's first nine points of the second quarter as the Cougars held a 33-19 lead with 7:12 remaining in the period.
- Antwi made a layup and a three-pointer from Rios extended the lead to 38-21 and before the half first-year Alyssa Bordonaro, Rios, and Drefs all scored capped off by a Rios triple before the break gave Clark a 48-31 advantage.
- Salem State scored the first seven points of the third quarter before the Cougars rattled off nine straight points as Shipley, Rios, Faulise, and a triple from Antwi pushed Clark's lead to 57-38 with 5:31 remaining in the third.
- Antwi and Faulise combined to score Clark's final five points of the third quarter as the Vikings ended the frame on 12-5 run as the Cougars possessed a 62-50 edge entering the fourth.
- Faulise made a layup early in the fourth to keep the lead in double-figures at 11 before Kylie Gates capped off a Viking run that pulled them to within five at 66-61 with 6:04 to play.
- Antwi pushed the lead back to seven with a made layup off a feed from Faulise before the Vikings scored four unanswered and a Rios free throw with 2:07 remaining gave the Cougars a 69-65 lead.
- After a Liz Zaiter made layup, Antwi buried a three-pointer with 1:34 left to push the edge back up to five and a layup from Faulise with 0:46 to play helped Clark possess a 74-69 advantage.
- Zaiter made another layup to pull back within three at 74-71 before the Cougars were able to seal the game with four free throws from Coleman as Clark came away with a 78-71 victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Clark grabbed 39 rebounds, dished out 19 assists, registered 16 steals, and forced 27 turnovers.
- Rios led the way with 16 points and added a block.
- Antwi also reached double-figures with 15 points and dished out three assists.
- Coleman nearly tallied a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while also tallying five steals and five assists.
- Faulise added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
- Drefs recorded five points, five assists, five rebounds, and four steals.
What's Next
The Cougars will begin a six-game road trip on Friday evening when they travel to Connecticut for a contest against Hartford starting at 6:00 p.m.