WORCESTER, MASS. - Clark University bested the Mount Holyoke College basketball team, 99-40 in the New England Women's and Men's (NEWMAC) opener on Tuesday night. Junior forward Haley Wilder and sophomore center Ogechi Ezemma paced the Cougars with 16 points apiece. Clark improves to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference, while the Lyons are now 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the NEWMAC.
Ezemma (Hope Valley, R.I./Moses Brown School) posted 16 points and 8 rebounds, while also getting three blocks. Off of the bench, sophomore forward Rachael Chen (Needham, Mass./Needham) posted a 13 point, 12 rebound double-double. Graduate student Sami Dokus (Littleton, Mass./Francis Parker Charter) also scored double-digits off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
First year Kathryn Violette (Yokosuka City, Japan/Yokosuka International School) led the way for the Lyons with 11 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Senior forward Julia McConnell (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) also had a strong game, scoring nine points, while first year guard Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass./Stoneleigh Burnham School) scored seven.
The Cougars got out to a fast start, out scoring MHC 34-6 in the first quarter. In the second stanza, Mount Holyoke scored seven early points capped off by a three pointer form Violette with 5:25 left, for a score of 46-13. Clark went on a 6-0 run, but junior guard Peyton Burr (Fayston, Vt./Harwoon Union) ended the quarter with a layup to go into the half down 55-17.
To start the third quarter, Grover hit a layup, but Clark countered with 10 straight points. The Lyons went on a 6-2 run of its own to cut the score to 67-25. MHC closed the quarter strong scoring six points in the final 1:31.
Violette scored four points in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars scored 20 points to secure a 99-40 victory.
Mount Holyoke will be back in action on Saturday where it will play its conference home opener against MIT starting at 1:00pm. Clark will also be in action on Saturday, facing Emerson on the road at 1:00pm.
