Cambridge, Mass. - A strong first quarter helped MIT defeat visiting Mount Holyoke College, 75-15, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Thursday night. Freshman Jocelyn Luizzi (Colchester, Conn.) led all players with 16 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Engineers. Junior guard Leah Hodges paced the Lyons with six points while grabbing a steal and a rebound. The Engineer's improve to 13-8 overall and 9-5 in the NEWMAC, while the Lyons are now 0-21 overall and 0-13 in conference action.

MIT freshman Kylie Gallagher (Upton, Mass.) recorded the first eight points of the game as a jumper by Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) put Mount Holyoke on the board at the 7:45 mark. Two free throws and a layup by junior Taylor V'Dovec (Blaine, Wash.) coupled with a layup from classmate Maude Gull (Zurich, Switzerland) quickly gave the Engineers a 14-2 lead. junor guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) buried a jumper following a Lyons' timeout, however, they would not get any closer as a three-pointer by junior Dolly Yuan (San Jose, Calif.) ignited a 14-4 run that created a 28-8 advantage at the end of the quarter.

After trading baskets to start the second stanza, MIT posted six straight points to increase its lead to 36-10 at the 6:07 mark. The score remained unchanged for the next three minutes until senior Kate Rawson (Old Town, Maine/Old Townsank) a free throw, which was followed by Hodges' steal and layup. Junior Kara Holinski (Livonia, Mich.) hit a three-pointer on the Engineers' next trip down the court, setting off an 8-0 spurt that resulted in a 46-13 margin at halftime.

The hosts went on to outscore Mount Holyoke, 29-2, during the final 20 minutes of action to record the comfortable victory.

Holinski finished with 12 points and five rebounds as senior Cathryn Hart (Charlestown, Mass.) grabbed a game-high 10 boards. Freshman Emma Kelley (Andover, Mass.) tallied eight points, six rebounds, and four steals while Yuan dished out seven assists followed by four from Gull.

First year GraceAnne Woods (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove) posted four rebounds and a steal as Rawson also hauled in four boards for the visitors.

Both teams are in action on Saturday, Feb. 10. MIT will host local non-conference foe Simmons College at 12:00 p.m. while Mount Holyoke will visit NEWMAC rival Emerson College for a 1:00 p.m. tip off.