SALEM, Mass. — The Colby-Sawyer women’s basketball team shot 50.8 percent to power past Salem State, 80-55, in non-conference action Wednesday evening.
Colby-Sawyer improves to 6-1. The Chargers returned home on Saturday to host Middlebury. The Panthers (6-0) are coached by Colby-Sawyer Hall of Famer KJ Krasco ’05. Salem State drops to 2-4.
The Chargers made 30 of 59 shot attempts and went 6-for-14 from beyond the arc. Colby-Sawyer scored 46 points in the paint and had a 46-34 advantage in rebounding.
Senior Tianna Sugars (Oxford, Maine) led the Colby-Sawyer offense with 18 points. She added six rebounds and three blocks. Senior Lexie Hamilton (Sunapee) was 6-8 from the floor and finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. First-year Caitlyn Boucher (Swanzey) hit 4-of-5 shots for 10 points and added four steals. Junior Joslin Wainwright (Plainfield) grabbed a game best 10 rebounds to go with nine points.
Salem State was led by an 18-point effort from Liz Zaiter. Courtney Paschal was second on the team with 11 points thanks to 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line. She also tallied a team best eight rebounds.
Each team scored 13 points in the first quarter. The Vikings took eight more shots than Colby-Sawyer, but the Chargers were more efficient shooting at 46.2 percent while Salem State shot 23.8 percent.
Colby-Sawyer continued to shoot the ball well and pulled away in the second quarter. The Chargers were 7-14 from the floor and 9-11 from the free throw line. Colby-Sawyer’s defense also stepped up and allowed only three Salem State field goals to outscore the home team 24-13.
The Chargers doubled up the Vikings in the third, 28-14, to put the game out of reach. Sugars and Hamilton combined to make 9-of-10 shots for 18 points in the quarter.
Both teams added 15 points in the fourth quarter to make the final 80-55.
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