Wheaton Pulls Away From Mount Holyoke in Second Half, 67-48
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Jan. 9, 2008) - Junior forward Krystin Hickey (Manchester, N.H./New Hampton School) piled up game-highs of 23 points and ten rebounds to push the Wheaton College women's basketball team to a 67-48 victory over Mount Holyoke College this evening at the Mildred Howard Gymnasium. It was the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both squads. Wheaton trailed by four points at the half but outscored the hosts 46-23 after the break to seal things.Hickey dominated play throughout, converting 8-of-12 shots from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. She nailed all five of her free throw attempts en route to her second double-double of the season. For the game, the visitors shot 45.9% (28-61) from the floor and were a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe.
Sophomore guard Andrea Bailey (Needham, Mass./Needham) scored ten points and dished out nine of Wheaton's 19 assists. Sophomore forward Jenny Champney (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) totaled 11 points and nine boards, while classmate Ida Kruse (Vershire, Vt./Rivendell Academy) added ten points off the bench for the guests.
Leading the way for Mount Holyoke was senior forward Marisa Barone (Ludlow, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy), who posted a team-best 12 points. Junior guard Katie Austen (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) collected ten points, while first year guard Amber Sinicrope (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) chipped in with eight points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Kate Shafir (Newton, Mass./Beaver Country Day School) rounded things out with seven points and eight boards for the home team.
Neither team led by more than six points in a first half that saw two ties and seven lead changes. Shafir capped off a 7-0 Mount Holyoke run with a layup at the 2:46 mark of the opening frame to give her team a 23-17 edge. The hosts took a 25-21 advantage into the locker room.
Mount Holyoke enjoyed a 31-26 lead in the early stages of the second stanza, but Wheaton scored the next nine points over a span of 1:30 to take control of the contest. Champney started the run with a conventional three-point play and finished it with a lay-in.
From there, Wheaton never looked back. The guests shot 69.0% (20-29) in the second period and led by as many as 21 points (67-46) down the stretch. Hickey netted 17 of her points after the intermission.
Mount Holyoke (2-9, 0-1 NEWMAC) will return to action on Saturday, when it visits Clark University for a NEWMAC clash beginning at 1:00 p.m. Wheaton (8-4, 1-0 NEWMAC) is also slated to take the court again on Saturday. It will host league foe Babson College at 3:00 p.m.
Game Statistics