WORCESTER, Mass. - Despite a game-high 20 points from senior guard Genelle Green, the Mount Holyoke College basketball team was unable to get past Clark University. The Lyons shouldered a 72-42 loss to the Cougars in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Wednesday evening.
With the victory, Clark moves to 5-17 overall and 3-11 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 0-21 and 0-13 in the NEWMAC.
Green poured in 20 points, adding a game-best 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. She also had four assists and three steals in 38 minutes played. First year guard Leah Hodges dropped in 10 points with two boards, two assists, a block and three steals, while senior guard Kelly Stewart had nine points.
For the Cougars, Ogechi Ezemma recorded 14 points with a game-high 11 rebounds. She also had two assists, two blocks and three steals. Kacey Legare posted 13 points, four boards, two assists and a block, while Haley Wilder had 10 points with six rebounds. She also added an assist and a block.
Clark opened up the game with an 18-7 lead behind six points from Sam O'Gara. A free throw by Legare early in the second quarter gave the Cougars an 11-point advantage (20-9), but a layup from Stewart helped the Lyons pull the deficit back to single digits with 8:01 to go.
Despite the momentum, Clark grabbed its largest lead of the game on a three-pointer by Cori Ouellette to go up by 14 (30-16) with 4:28 to play. A series of free throws over the final 1:36 by Wilder sent the home team into halftime with a 42-23 lead.
In the third quarter, a 5-0 run powered by Legare made it a 51-25 lead before senior forward Xajaah Williams-Flores made it 53-29 with 4:24 remaining. Layups by Green and Stewart cut the score down to 19 (55-36) before Wilder nailed two more free throws to close out the stanza at 59-36.
Clark went on to outscore the Lyons by a 13-6 margin in the final quarter.
The Cougars return to action on Saturday when they travel to Coast Guard for a 1pm game. Mount Holyoke is back on the court on Saturday as well, hosting Wellesley at 1pm. That game is also the Lyons Play4Kay game.