ALBANY, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Shaquana Owens of Villa Maria scored 31 points to lift the Vikings past Mount Holyoke College, 80-52 in the championship game of the ACPHS Tip-Off Tournament Sunday afternoon. Villa Maria improves to 3-4 on the year, while the Lyons are now 2-2.
Owens (Buffalo, N.Y./Tapestry Charter School) paced the Vikings with 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists. First year forward Nina Cray (Wheatland, Iowa/Calamus-Wheatland) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Jayvonna Kincannon (Buffalo, N.Y./McKinley High School) was the third Viking player to score in double figures with 14 points, three assists, and four steals.
As a team, Villa Maria shot 46.9% from the field (30-64). The Vikings scored 34 points off of turnovers and scored 46 points in the paint.
For the Lyons, senior captain and forward Xajaah Williams-Flores (Bronx, N.Y./Holderness School) notched her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 boards. First year guard Kathryn Violette (Yokosuka City, Japan/Yokosuka International School) continued her strong start to the season, scoring 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. First year Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass. Stoneleigh Burnham School) also had a strong showing with 14 points off of the bench, including nine from downtown.
MHC had a 49-47 advantage on the glass and led the game in bench points (17-12) for the second straight game.
The Vikings controlled the game early, getting out to a 14-40 advantage by halftime powered by 18 points from Owens. Mount Holyoke bounced back in the third quarter, scoring the first 13 of eight points to cut the margin to 20 (28-48). MHC then went on an 8-3 run in the last 2:38 to bring the score to 55-36 heading into the fourth.
Villa Maria had a strong fourth quarter to fend off the Lyons. Owens scored nine points in the final stanza, while Kincannon and Cray scored six each. The Vikings ended on a 13-6 run in the last five minutes of the game to earn the ACPHS championship (80-52).
Mount Holyoke will be back in action on Tuesday when it will face Elms at 6:00pm on the road. Villa Maria will hit the court again on Saturday, facing Seneca College at 7:00pm at home.
