SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Powered by a double-figure effort from three players, Clark University defeated Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Wednesday evening. With the 75-37 win, the Cougars improved to 9-12 and 5-7 in conference play. The Lyons slip to 1-19 and 0-11 in the NEWMAC.
Senior guard Maya Kerstetter (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) paced all players in the contest, recording 17 points with six rebounds and a game-high five steals. Classmate and captain Ogechi Ezemma (Hope Valley, R.I./Moses Brown School) completed the double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while first year forward Julia Beebe (Andover, Conn./Sport & Medical Science Academy) added 13 rebounds. Sophomore forward Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass./Douglas) added 10 boards, nine points and a game-best five steals as well.
For the Lyons, sophomore Annika Brooks (Portland, Maine/Waynflete) recorded 14 points with eight boards, an assist and three steals. Senior forward Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) added eight points, two blocks and assist and four caroms, while sophomore forward Julia Grey (Atlanta, Ga.) came off the bench to notch seven rebounds, four points, and assist, three steals and a game-best four blocks.
Clark came out firing in the opening quarter, powered by a 10-point effort on a perfect 5-for-5 clip from Ezemma to grab the 26-6 advantage through the first 10 minutes. The Lyons battled back in the second stanza as four different players found the net, including four from Hodges, but five points from Kerstetter set the tone for Clark and give the visitors a 40-17 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Lyons saw Brooks post six points, but six from Favaloro helped the Cougars maintain their lead heading into the final quarter. MHC saw Grey come off the bench to record four key blocks, adding four points and three boards in the stanza, but a solid effort off the bench from Beebe (3 points) and senior forwards Maggie Tarbox (Lebanon, Conn./Lyman Memorial) and Danielle Hearnlaye (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) - who each added four points apiece - sealed the win.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Saturday when it travels to MIT for a 2pm conference tilt. Clark is back on the court next Wednesday when it hosts Coast Guard at 5pm.
