Colby Moves Past Trinity, 65-57, in Women's Basketball Quarterfinals
Courtesy Colby Sports Information
WATERVILLE, Maine - Aarika Ritchie (Lee, Maine) had 12 of her team-high 19 points in the first half and the second-seeded Colby College women’s basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 65-57 win over Trinity College in a NESCAC quarterfinal game Saturday at Wadsworth Gymnasium. The Mules move to 22-3 overall and will play rival Bowdoin on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Amherst at 4:00 p.m. Trinity closes the season at 15-9.
Trinity played tough from the beginning of the game and only trailed 32-29 at halftime. The Bantams had a 37-35 rebounding advantage in the game, despite the Mules being the third-ranked team in the country in rebound margin (plus 12.7 heading into the game).
Ritchie shot 5-for-8 from the field and 8-for-10 from the foul line. The Mules, the top free throw shooting team in the NESCAC at 76 percent, shot 22-for-26 from the foul line.
Alison Cappelloni (Sudbury, Mass.) had 12 points, six rebounds, and a team-high three assists for the Mules. Samantha Allen (Bridgton, Maine) was 3-for-6 from 3-point range in scoring nine points, while Rachel Mack (Augusta, Maine) had eight points and six rebounds. Jil Vaughan (Wareham, Mass.) came off the bench and had five points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Trinity, the seventh seed, received 19 points from Kaitlin Ciarleglio (Waterbury, Conn.) and 12 from fellow guard Michelle Royals (Torrington, Conn.). Christine Card (Waterbury, Conn.) added seven points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Claire Arnstein (Hicksville, N.Y.) had eight points and five rebounds.
The Mules still led by three points at 41-38 when Colby went on a 9-2 run to take a 52-40 margin. Colby led by as much as 60-45 with 5:12 to play, but the Bantams got as close as seven points when Arnstein hit a jumper with 51 seconds to play. Diana Manduca (Portland, Maine) hit two free throws to push the lead to nine before Arnstein hit one free throw for the final point of the game.
