In the college summer hoops league last week, the number of undefeated teams dropped from three to just one, as defending league champion Team Cyber Pink (largely college alumni) and Team Purple both lost on Tuesday. Team Black (Jefferson University) won on Tuesday and on Thursday night to reach 4-0.

At week's end, Purple (mostly West Chester University) and Team Sky Blue were tied for second place with records of 3-1, while Pink slipped to fourth, at 2-2. Team Maroon (mostly Arcadia University) logged its first win on Thursday to join three other 1-3 teams: Kelly Green, Lemon Gold, and Royal Blue.

As Tuesday's showdown between Jefferson’s Black and Cyber Pink got underway, junior Emily Spratt put in layups and short jumpers to score 13 points in the first quarter. Her team moved up out of an early 2-2 tie to lead 25-13 at the end of the period.

Taking measures to contain the Jefferson guard, Pink came back to tie the game near the middle of the second quarter. Millersville University sophomore Holly Gohl posted seven points in the period as Pink outscored Black, but the summer-league Lady Rams still led at halftime, 33-30. 

With scoring from five different players in the third period, Team Black bumped its lead up to seven points (46-39) for the start of the final round.

Pink made a run at the leaders at the start of the fourth quarter, culminating in a three-pointer by Germantown Academy grad Gabby Bowes that tied the game at 46 with 5:38 left to play. Black edged ahead again when sophomore forward Gabby Recinto scored off of an offensive rebound, then junior point guard Tori Nigro made a successful drive along the right baseline to send Jefferson into the final minute with a 50-46 advantage.

One of Pink's alumni players, forward Taylor Hamm, deposited a pair of free throws to make it a two-point affair. Later, Pink almost forced a jump-ball tie-up but Black was able to call a time-out with 26 seconds remaining. To preserve time on the clock, Pink now had to put Team Black into the bonus, but they had to commit four fouls to do it.

Finally, Spratt went to the free throw line with 10 seconds left and made two shots. Pink came down the floor, put up a shot from the outside, and when it missed, Recinto gathered in the rebound and was quickly fouled. She made two tosses from the stripe with 3.5 seconds left, and with the teams now six points apart (54-48), they called it a night.

Spratt led the victors with 18 points, and Plymouth Whitemarsh grad Jordyn Thomas was one of two summer Rams who scored eight.

For Pink, Gohl had a team-high 16 points with two three-pointers, while Hamm had 12 and Bowes (who'll join Gohl at Millersville) hit two threes and totaled 10 points.

In another close contest that same night, Sky Blue’s (Holy Family) forward Claire Dougherty posted a team-high 13 points in a 60-56 victory over Purple. The game high of 20 points belonged to West Chester senior guard Alainna Hopta, who lobbed in six three-point field goals.

Lemon Gold (a Division II and III combo team) knocked off Maroon (largely from Arcadia U.), 74-62, while short-staffed Kelly Green had to forfeit to Royal Blue.

Maroon was missing one of its two University of Scranton draftees, Lizzie Halligan, for that game. On Thursday, the Academy of Notre Dame grad was back to help her team secure its first victory of the season, a 75-46 win over Royal Blue. Halligan and Delaney Bell each scored 18 points while Maroon got its team high of 23 points from Hanna Rhodes, an Arcadia senior out of Abington Friends.

Dougherty again led Sky Blue to victory on Thursday, this time recording 20 points in a 67-47 decision over Lemon Gold. Meanwhile, a 27-point outburst from redshirt freshman forward Caleigh Sperling helped power Team Black in an 87-44 cruise past Kelly Green.

In a much closer contest on Thursday evening, Cyber Pink suffered its second straight loss, going down to Team Purple, 61-57. The Pinksters, missing GA grad Bowes, led at halftime (28-33) and at the three-quarter mark (40-36). Purple surged ahead early in the fourth quarter, going up 47-40 over the first four minutes.

As in its Tuesday setback, Pink fouled late in the game to slow the clock. Hopta helped Purple persevere by hitting five of six free throws down the stretch, and the winners' team-high of 20 points was registered by Sa'ni Savage. Pink's Hamm also had 20 points.