WORCESTER, Mass. – Clark University women's basketball (14-5, 5-0 NEWMAC) looked to continue its strong start to conference play with a home matchup against Coast Guard (10-9, 2-3 NEWMAC) on Saturday afternoon. In a close battle, the Cougars were able to overcome a late fourth-quarter run by the Bears to secure a 63-56 win and remain undefeated in conference play through five games.

How it Happened

• First-year Atiya Watson scored the first five points of the game for the Cougars, before a three by sophomore Cyriah Coleman, a jumper from junior Emma Drefs, and a layup by junior Olivia Shipley made it a 12-11 game with 5:15 to go in the first.

• A layup by junior Kailey Rios would put Clark up by two late in the period, but a mini 5-0 run by the Bears gave Coast Guard a 22-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

• Back-to-back threes by Coleman quickly put the Cougars back in the driver's seat to start the second quarter, with five straight points by Drefs making it a 30-24 game with six minutes to play in the half.

• Both offenses quieted in the final five minutes of the half, with a Rios layup and offsetting free throws by junior Catherine Antwi and Elliot Greer making it 34-29 at the break.

• Despite free throws from senior Kiley Drezek and a layup by Antwi, the Bears were able to tie the game at 38-all in the first four minutes of the third quarter.

• From there, Clark went on a 14-4 run to end the third, highlighted by a three from Watson and seven points from Coleman, putting the Cougars up 52-42 at the third-quarter horn.

• A Watson layup to open the fourth gave Clark its biggest lead, a 12-point cushion, but a subsequent 5-0 run by Coast Guard cut the lead back to single digits.

• The Bears continued to whittle down the Cougars' lead, cutting the deficit to four despite a layup from Antwi. A clutch jumper by Drefs set the score at 58-52 entering the final two minutes of the game.

• The lead would hold, thanks in part to free throws from Shipley, Watson, and Drefs, as Clark secured a 63-56 end-to-end victory.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars hit 20 shots, including five makes from behind the arc. They grabbed 41 rebounds, assisted on 11 shots, and forced 22 turnovers with 15 steals.

• Coleman stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks. It was her third game with four steals and her fourth game with two blocks this season.

• Watson ended with 15 points, her 11th game this year with double-digit scoring. She also contributed eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

• Drefs poured in 13 points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 5-5 from the line, marking the third time she has reached double figures this season.

• Antwi added 10 points and two steals, her seventh game of the season with double-digit scoring and two or more steals.

• Shipley pulled down a team-high and career-best 10 rebounds.

• With the win, Clark remains alongside Smith as one of two undefeated teams in the NEWMAC, with the two set to face each other on February 7th.

What's Next

The Scarlet and White remain home this Wednesday for the first half of the night's double-header against Salve Regina at 5:00 PM.