MILTON, Mass. – Curry College notched a 50-point first half then cruised to an 86-68 win over visiting Pine Manor College in the season opener for both schools.

Colonels’ sophomore guard Carolyn Houston (Melrose, NY) scored the first bucket of the game to give the hosts a lead they would never relinquish. A layup by freshman guard Lauren McGrath (Southampton, MA) with 3:01 remaining in the first frame gave Curry its biggest lead (45-20). A jump shot by Pine Manor junior forward Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD) cut the deficit to 19 points (50-31) at the end of the half.

The Gators fought back in the second half, pulling to within 12 (66-54) after junior forward Therline Dumeran (Cambridge, MA) made a layup with 7:12 remaining in regulation. The Colonels responded with a 10-0 run that began with a layup by sophomore forward Hailey Rafferty (Worcester, MA) at 6:59, and was capped off with another layup by freshman guard Ashley Assarian (Chicopee, MA) with 4:45 remaining.

Freshman guard Katie King (Dorchester, MA) led the Colonels with 20 points.  Senior forward Danyel Cousins (Brunswick, ME) added 18, Rafferty contributed 12, and Houston chipped in with 10. Senior forward Cortney Robinson (Brockton, MA) pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Gators were led by Wright with 20 points. Dumeran scored 17 and sophomore forward Tia Nelson (Rockport, MA) added 10.  Dumeran recorded a double-double with her team-high 10 rebounds.

Curry returns to action on Wednesday, travelling to Southern Vermont College for a 6:00 p.m. contest. Pine Manor next plays on November 23, visiting M.I.T. for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

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