2016-17 Basketball Year In Review

Results | Roster | Statistics | News

Under the direction of 13th-year head coach Michelle Scecina, the Mount Holyoke basketball team posted a record of 2-24 and 0-16 in NEWMAC play during the 2016-17 season.

The Lyons opened up the season in spectacular fashion, winning its first two out of three games. After falling to Worcester State, MHC bounced back, beating Green Mountain College and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

In the home opener against the Eagles, double-digit efforts from senior captain and forward Xajaah Williams-Flores and junior guard Genesis DiCarlo powered Mount Holyoke to its first win of the season. Williams-Flores led the game in both points and rebounds, while DiCarlo posted a career-high 12 points.

First-year guard Kathryn Violette then netted 20 points with five rebounds and three assists to lift the Lyons to its second win in a row, this time at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Williams-Flores also had a dominating performance with 15 points and seven boards, while senior forward Julia McConnell recorded a season-high 11 points off the bench, including nine points in a two-minute stretch during the second half. The win put MHC in the finals of the ACPHS Tip-Off Tournament.

In the championship versus Villa Maria, the Lyons had three players score double-figures. Despite the momentum, the Lyons fell to Elms College before Thanksgiving, but had another game in which three players scored 10 or more points, including sophomore guard Zahkeyah Allen, who posted a career-high 11 points.

MHC hit a rough patch through January, but had an inspiring performance against Wheaton College in the middle of the month. Mount Holyoke held a 19-14 lead over the visiting Lyons after all five starters scored, with first year guard Katlyn Grover having six. The Lyons went into halftime up 26-25, but eventually fell.

To start February, MHC shouldered a loss to WPI, but followed up with a competitive performance at home against Emerson. The Lyons lost the first quarter but battled toe-to-toe in the following two quarters with both teams scoring 30 points over the span. The Lions slightly edged MHC in the fourth to give Emerson the 75-62 victory. Violette and Grover each had career-highs with 21 and 19, respectively.

For the year, Williams-Flores led the team, averaging a near double-double with 10.0 rebounds and 8.2 points a game. She also finished the season third in the NEWMAC in rebounds. Williams-Flores won NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Week (2/13) and also garnered NEWMAC All-Sportsmanship Team honors.