WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Wellesley College basketball started the 2026 calendar year with a 55-52 overtime setback at non-conference University of Saint Joseph on Saturday. The win brings the Bluejays to 2-8 while the Blue fall to 4-7.
Sophomore Sequoia Turcotte Briggs (Andover, Conn.) played a key role in USJ's win with 16 points. Classmate Neveah Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) stuffed the statsheet with 13 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Wellesley's leading scorer was junior Trinity Barrow (Evans, Ga.), scoring 16 with 10 boards and four steals. Sophomore Ava Shane (Plano, Texas) added 15 points and 14 rebounds while first-year Tanvi Agarwal (Woodinville, Wash.) finished with 12 points.
Tied 49 all after 40 minutes, the Bluejays brought the overtime lead to 55-51 on a pair of free throws from Turcotte Briggs with 2 minutes left to play. Despite a made Shane free throw, neither team would score another basket down the stretch with the USJ defense holding on to a 55-52 edge at the final buzzer.
The teams were tied 42-42 going to the fourth quarter, setting up a low scoring 7-7 period. The Bluejays briefly made it a two possession game at 49-45 with 2:48 remaining. But a Wellesley layup from sophomore Stacy Chen (Minneapolis, Minn.) and a jumper from Barrow with 18 seconds left forced the contest in overtime.
Earlier in the game, the Blue went up 12-5, capped off by a layup in the paint from Shane. USJ scored the final eight points of the frame to grab a one point advantage after one period of play.
Wellesley briefly took control in the second, going up 23-17 at the 6:24 mark. An 8-2 Bluejays run ended the half, keeping the game within a point, 31-30 Wellesley.
The two teams stayed within three points of one another for the entirety of the third quarter, with USJ outscoring the Blue 12-11 to set up the 42-42 scoreline heading into the fourth.
Wellesley comes back to Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse to welcome Regis College at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, January 7. USJ hosts Salve Regina University at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, January 6.
