Wellesley Holds Off Pride’s Fourth-Quarter Rally

WELLESLEY, Mass. — Regis College women's basketball made the short trip to Wellesley College for its final non-conference matchup of the 2025–26 slate, where the Pride battled back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit before ultimately falling short, 70-63, to enter Great Northeast Athletic Conference play with a 3-10 record.

Madi Zancan led the Pride with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals, while Jordyn Striggles and Jillian Perry each added 12 points and three assists in the effort.

The Blue were led by Trinity Barrow and Ava Shane, who scored 19 points apiece, with Barrow adding nine rebounds and five assists. Stacy Chen contributed 16 points, connecting on 8-of-10 free throws in the victory.

How it Happened

The Pride opened the game on a strong note, using back-to-back three-pointers from Striggles and Sophia Pollini to build an early 10-3 advantage and force a Blue timeout. The visitors responded with six unanswered points out of the break, but a Zancan layup stemmed the run and kept Regis in front, 12-9, at the midpoint of the quarter. Regis continued to lean on its perimeter shooting, with all of its remaining field goals in the frame coming from beyond the arc, as the Pride held a narrow 18-15 lead after one.

In the opening two minutes of the second quarter, the Pride knocked down a pair of three-pointers to push their total to six from beyond the arc and extend their lead to its largest of the game, 26-19, at the 8:03 mark. From there, however, the momentum shifted. Behind six points from Barrow, the Blue went on a 14-point swing before a Riley Whittier jumper briefly slowed the run, but still gave the visitors a 33-28 advantage with under three minutes remaining in the half. The Blue closed the period with five unanswered points to carry their largest lead of the game into the break, 38-30.

The Blue controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Pride 21-9 and holding them to just one field goal until the two-minute mark, when a pair of Zancan layup followed by an Erika Marinelli three broke the drought, giving the Blue a commanding 20-point, 59-39, lead heading into the final ten minutes.

Behind six points from Striggles, the Pride mounted their comeback by opening the fourth quarter with nine unanswered points to cut the deficit to eight, 59–51, with under seven minutes to play. The Blue briefly halted the momentum with a basket, but Striggles answered with her third three of the game to continue closing the gap to 61–54 with just over four minutes remaining. The Pride came within four after a Zancan steal led to a Jillian Perry transition bucket that made it a 61–57 game with 3:32 to play. The Blue added a bit of breathing room before a Zancan layup pulled it back to a four-point game with 30 seconds remaining, but Wellesley closed it out at the free-throw line to secure the 70–63 victory.

Inside the Numbers

• In her first collegiate start, Sophia Pollini provided an early spark, pouring in eight first-quarter points and connecting on 2-of-3 shots from three-point range.
• Jordyn Striggles tied her career-high with four triples in this afternoon's effort.
• Regis accounted for 18 assists, with five members of the Pride notching three or more, marking their second-highest total of the season.

Up Next

The Pride will open their conference schedule on Saturday, January 10, hosting Albertus Magnus at 1 p.m. on Higgins Court.