NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team was outlasted by Wesleyan, 69-64, in a tightly-contested NESCAC game at the Charles B. Luce Field House on Saturday afternoon.

Connecticut College trailed 65-64 after sophomore Sami Ashton (Clinton, Conn.) converted a pair of free throws with 34 seconds on the clock and then had the opportunity to take the lead when the Cardinals' Tara Berger turned the ball over on the next play. The Camels, however, missed a layup down low and Maddie Bledsoe came away with the rebound for the visitors. Bledsoe and Ava Tompkins then combined to make four free throws for down the stretch to allow the Cardinals to survive and win.

The entire game was played with neither side ever leading by twin figures, and it also featured eight ties as well as nine exchanges of the lead. Wesleyan jumped out to a 5-0 advantage, which included getting a trifecta from Maeve Vitale, and never trailed in the opening quarter even though the Camels tied the score on three occasions.

Down 16-13 through 10 minutes of play, Connecticut College took its first lead at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter when junior Kylie Caouette (Ashburnham, Mass.) drove in for a layup to break a 19-19 deadlock. Wesleyan, however, ended the frame on a 12-5 run and carried a slim 33-28 advantage into the recess.

The Camels regained the lead in the third quarter when Ashton converted a layup and drilled two free throws to make it 34-33 with 7:55 on the clock, but the visitors had a quick answer when Berger finished a pass from Tompkins just six seconds later. The Cardinals, who never surrendered the lead again, then got a 3-pointer from Maeve Vitale to gain a 49-43 advantage heading into the final frame.

Despite being consistently challenged by the hosts, Wesleyan was able to hold off every run to stay ahead throughout the fourth quarter. Sophomore Ashley Howe (Saco, Maine) drained a shot from downtown and Muckstadt added a layup to make it a one-possession game on two occasions, but the Cardinals had an answer each time. A missed layup for what would have been the go-ahead basket with 15 seconds remaining eventually allowed the Cardinals to ice the victory at the charity stripe.

Wesleyan (11-5, NESCAC 2-3) was led by Bledsoe, who dominated inside by contributing 19 points and 21 rebounds. Berger ended the game with 14 points to go along with six blocked shots, and Tompkins registered 12 points to round out a trio of players who scored in twin figures.

Ashton paced Connecticut College by providing 17 points and nine rebounds. Junior Margaret Corcoran (Milton, Mass.) also nearly posted a double-double by finishing with nine points and 10 boards, while senior Mairead Hynes (Mahopac, N.Y.) notched 16 points off the bench.

Connecticut College (11-5, NESCAC 2-3) returns to action when it visits No. 8 Tufts on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m.