SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Behind a double-double performance from sophomore Annika Brooks, the Mount Holyoke College basketball team defeated Green Mountain College, 60-52 in non-conference action on Monday evening. The Lyons, who saw three players in double-figures for the night, move to 1-15 overall, while the Eagles are now 4-10 on the season.
Brooks (Portland, Maine/Waynflete) recorded a game-best and career-high 23 points and 18 rebounds, adding game-high's as well with five assists and five steals in 40 minutes of play. Additionally, she tied her career-best in rebounds, assists and steals. Senior guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) recorded 16 points with eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks, while junior guard and captain Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass./Stoneleigh Burnham School) had 10 points with three boards and two assists.
For Green Mountain, junior guard and captain Taylor Hill (Ronceverte, W. Va./Greenbriar East) notched a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also had an assist, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore forward Britanny Frasier (Warrensburg, N.Y./Warrensburg) added 11 points with seven caroms and two steals, while senior guard Sharena Armstrong (St. Thomas, Virgin Island/Wabash CC) posted 11 points with nine boards, two assists, a steal and two blocks.
The Eagles opened the contest with a narrow 15-12 edge, powered by points from six different scorers, but the homestanding Lyons came roaring into the second stanza. MHC held the visitors to just eight points in the frame as it continued to close the gap mid-way through the quarter.
Down by three with 7:18 to go in the second, Hodges nailed a jumper and rookie Mikayla McEwen (South Hadley, Mass./Berkshire School) sank a mid-range shot of her own to give Mount Holyoke its first lead (18-17) with 6:22 on the clock.
McEwen nailed another jump and back-to-back shots from Brooks put the Lyons up 24-17 at 3:25. Armstrong sank a layup with just seven seconds left on the clock, but MHC took the 26-23 lead into the third.
The Lyons opened the third quarter with a bang, going on an 11-0 run, capped by a Grover trey at 7:40 to build up a 37-23 advantage. The score remained the same over the next four minutes and the Eagles pulled back as four free throws from Armstrong helped cut the deficit to 40-30 for Green Mountain at 1:59.
Taking a 42-35 lead into the final frame, the Lyons saw their advantage slip as the Eagles went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 42-41, aided by a smooth layup in the paint from Armstrong at 8:37.
Following an MHC timeout, the Lyons quickly built the lead back up as Grover nailed another three from outside, followed by consecutive buckets from Brooks to make it 49-41 with 5:58 remaining.
The Eagles tried to keep things close as Hill nailed back-to-back jumpers, but the Lyons matched the visitors bucket for bucket to maintain the lead. Hodges carried the effort over the final 54 seconds, draining four of MHC's five points in the frame, from the free throw line.
MHC finished with a 43.1% (25-58) effort from the field, shooting 80% (8-10) from the charity stripe. The Lyons held the Eagles to 28.1% (18-64) from the floor for the contest.
The Lyons are back in action on Wednesday when they host NEWMAC and area-rival Smith at 7pm in the Howard Gymnasium. Green Mountain is also in action on Wednesday, hosting NVU-Lyndon at the Eagle Dome at 3pm.
