WORCESTER, Mass. – Clark University women's basketball (15-5, 6-0 NEWMAC) continued their trek through the conference schedule by hosting Salve Regina (6-14, 0-6 NEWMAC) on Wednesday night. The Cougars used terrific defensive intensity and a strong second and fourth quarter to pull away in the 68-54 victory. 

How it Happened

• Twice in the opening minutes, the Seahawks held a lead, but two threes by junior Kailey Rios and a layup from junior Emma Drefs gave the Cougars an 8-4 advantage after the first three minutes.

• Salve Regina would tie the game twice, but a layup from first-year Leilani Benson and a triple from sophomore Cyriah Coleman put Clark back in control, 16-15, after a tight first quarter.

• Again, the Seahawks would take a brief lead, but four straight Clark points from Drefs, followed by layups from first-year Atiya Watson and senior Kiley Drezek, made it 25-21 with 4:52 to play in the half.

• Four points from junior Catherine Antwi and a late layup by Drefs gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game on the final basket of the half, an eight-point 31-23 advantage.

• The Seahawks opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run, with a three from Antwi ultimately stopping the run. A following and-one layup by Coleman would retake the lead for the Cougars, 37-35, with 4:56 to go in the third.

• That sparked a surge for Clark, with two triples by Antwi and 13 total points scored by the Cougars in the span of two minutes.

• The final six points of the third belonged to the Seahawks, who halved the deficit to enter the fourth trailing 50-44.

• This time it was the Cougars who started the quarter strong, opening the fourth on a 9-2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Rios to make it 59-46 with 7:17 to play.

• Clark would not allow any comeback attempt, using a 9-0 run to close the door and secure a strong 68-54 win at home.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars hit 23 shots, including seven makes from behind the arc. They grabbed 32 rebounds, assisted on 17 shots, and forced 34 turnovers with 19 steals.

• Antwi was a menace on the court, recording eight steals in the game, the second time this season she has reached that mark. Her 2.4 steals per game rank fourth in the NEWMAC. Offensively, she added 15 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown.

• Coleman also had 15 points in the effort, adding four assists, four rebounds, and two steals of her own.

• Rios poured in 11 points and added three assists, the 12th time she's scored in double digits this season.

• Drefs reached 10 points while pulling in five rebounds, her second straight game with 10 or more points and the fourth such game this season.

• Junior Olivia Shipley was a force defensively, with a career-high six blocks to go alongside two steals, the most blocks in a single game since Ogechi Ezemma had seven in December of 2017. Shipley also ranks second in the NEWMAC with 2.0 blocks per game.

What's Next

The Scarlet and White hit the road for a battle between the final two undefeated teams in NEWMAC play, as they take on No. 6 Smith on Saturday at 2:00 PM.