Lewis finishes just shy of double-double in loss

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Colby-Sawyer College women's basketball team scored the first ten points of the game en route to a 53-38 win over in-state rival Plymouth State University, spoiling Plymouth's home-opener Tuesday night.

            Colby-Sawyer senior Kelsey Bragdon (Wells, Maine) had her first double-double of the season, finishing with a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.  The Chargers relied on a balanced scoring attack as eight-of-nine players found the basket.  Juniors Katie McCarthy (Mansfield, Mass.) and Jessica Shenkel (Sharon, Mass.) combined for 15 points and seven steals, while senior Kelsey Cahill (Cumberland, R.I.) added seven points and five rebounds.  Sophomore Kristin Ellis (South Easton, Mass.) chipped in with eight points of her own.

            Plymouth State got a near double-double from senior Tiffany Lewis (Hillsboro, N.H.), who finished with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.  Junior Taylor Perry (Simsbury, Conn.) came off the bench to contribute seven points, while sophomore Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) pulled down eight rebounds.  The Panther bench outscored Colby-Sawyer's 18-9.

            After Colby-Sawyer (3-1) opened with a 10-0 run through the game's first five minutes the two teams played even over the next seven.  The Chargers used an 8-0 run to push the lead to 20-5 with 6:45 remaining in the opening half, but a 5-0 Panther spurt, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore DeAsia Lawrence (Middletown, Conn.), cut the lead to 10 with just under six minutes on the clock.  PSU trailed 23-12 after a Lewis layup at the two minute mark, but the Chargers closed out the half on a 4-0 run, the last two coming on a buzzer-beating put-back by freshman Emmani Robinson (Newburgh, N.Y.), for a 27-12 halftime lead.

            A Bragdon three-pointer pushed the Charger lead to 18 points early in the second half before the two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes.  With four minutes remaining, Plymouth (3-3) used a 7-0 run to cut the lead to ten, 48-38, but Colby-Sawyer would hold the Panthers scoreless from that point to close out the win.

            Plymouth State plays host to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the Little East Conference opener for both teams on Saturday (1:00 p.m.).  The Chargers also return to the court on Saturday, hosting Green Mountain College in a North Atlantic Conference game.

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