WORCESTER, Mass.– Clark University women's basketball (6-3) hosted Emmanuel College (Mass.) (5-3) on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars battled back from an early 15-point hole, but the Saints held onto their lead and pulled away in the fourth to win 78-65.

How it Happened

• The Saints pulled out to an early 14-8 lead despite a three from junior Kailey Rios, a jumper from junior Olivia Shipley, and a pair of free throws from sophomore Cyriah Coleman. 

• Emmanuel extended the lead to twelve, but Coleman created separation with a step-back mid-range jumper to make it 24-14 after the first quarter.

• The lead reached as high as 15 in the early minutes of the second, but a layup from Shipley, four free throws from junior Catherine Antwi, and another layup from Coleman cut the deficit to eight with 4:01 to go in the half. 

• After the lead briefly returned to ten, Coleman scored the next six points of the game before assisting a layup by first-year Karilyn Perez-Guerrero to cut it to two. 

• The Saints added a point in the final minute, entering halftime in front 34-31.

• It was a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, with a Rios triple trimming the deficit to one with 6:04 to play. 

• The next three minutes saw the Saints go on a 16-5 run, but the Cougars responded by scoring 9 of the next 12 points, capped by a late Coleman layup to make it 59-53 with Emmanuel in front entering the final quarter.

• First-year Leilani Benson scored four of the first six points of the fourth for the Cougars, but Emmanuel hit a timely triple to extend their lead to 68-60 with 4:09 remaining. 

• A pair of Benson free throws briefly cut it to seven, but four quick points for the Saints pushed the advantage back to double digits, 73-62. 

• Three more Benson free throws gave her the last nine points of the game for Clark, as Emmanuel shut the door to secure a 78-65 win.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars hit 21 shots, including five triples, while also adding 18 makes from the charity stripe. They had 13 assists as a team and secured 50 rebounds while forcing 19 turnovers.

• Benson posted career highs in points (20) and rebounds (13), securing a double-double for the second time this season.

• Coleman had 17 points, her fifth game this season with 15+ points. She also added five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

• Rios had 14 points and shot an efficient 4-7 from beyond the three-point line.

What's Next

The Scarlet and White continue their three-game home stretch with a Tuesday afternoon tilt against Framingham State, with tipoff set for 6:00 PM.