WALTHAM, Mass. - Senior captain Genelle Green recorded a game-high 16 points, but it wasn't enough as the Mount Holyoke College basketball team shouldered an 81-38 loss to Brandeis at the 2015 Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament. The Judges are now 1-0, advancing to Saturday's 3pm championship game, while the Lyons move to 0-1 and will face Lasell in the consolation game at 1pm.
Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School) also posted seven rebounds and an assist over her 30 minutes played. Junior guard Xajaah Williams-Flores (Plymouth, N.H. / Holderness School) notched five points, eight rebounds and three blocks over 34 minutes played, while senior captain Kelly Stewart (La Cañada, Calif. / La Cañada) had seven points with four assists.
For the Judges, four players reached double figures, led by Maria Jackson's 12 points. Frankie Pinto and Heather Cain each added 11 points in the contest, while Neffie Lockley added 10 points. Kyla Gabriel also had a great effort for Brandeis, posting six points, a game-best nine rebounds, four assists and two steals over 18 minutes played.
The Lyons held tough in the opening quarter as a layup by Green cut the deficit to 15-11 with 39 seconds to play. Brandeis answered as Gabriel put down a layup and Cain added a pair of free throws to grab the 19-11 lead at halftime. In the second frame, the Judges turned up the intensity, scoring 31 points in the frame, while holding Mount Holyoke to just seven for a 50-18 halftime advantage.
A three by Green at the 5:28 mark of the third quarter made it a 54-25 game, but Brandeis continued to answer, going on a 6-0 run to build a 60-25 lead. The Lyons didn't back down as first year Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn. / Kolbe Cathedral) knocked in a pair of shots to cut the deficit to 63-32 in the final 1:42 of the stanza.
The Lyons tried to pull back in the fourth quarter with buckets from several players including rookie Lorena Escolero (Boston, Mass. / Fenway), but the Judges were too strong down the stretch.
