NORTON, Mass. (Jan. 22, 2011) – Led by junior Gabbie DePalo, the Wheaton College women's basketball team held on for a 59-53 victory over NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College this afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium. The guard recorded a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds, as her team completed the season sweep of the Lyons.
Three players reached double digits in the scoring column for Mount Holyoke, which converted 38.9% (21-54) of its shots from the field. The Lyons were paced by sophomore guard Angelica Pascual, who tallied 13 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Christine Chancy drained a pair of three-pointers en route to a team high 14 points while also dishing out four assists. Meanwhile, classmate Tricia Chase added 12 points and five boards.
Wheaton (7-9, 4-5 NEWMAC) finished with an overwhelming 51-30 advantage on the glass and turned 26 offensive rebounds into 21 second chance points. Sophomore forward Jeana Trimboli scored a game best 20 points off the bench, while first year guard Laura Pierce added 10. The hosts also received a boost from sophomore guard Gabby Barbera, who contributed seven points and eight rebounds.
Neither side led by more than eight points in the game, which featured two ties and seven lead changes.
Mount Holyoke scored the first seven points and led 15-7 following a layup by junior forward Bree Hollinger midway through the opening half.
Wheaton then gained control of the contest with 12 straight points over a span of 2:34. The hosts enjoyed a 19-15 edge following a three-pointer by Trimboli at the 6:03 mark. They went in front 28-21 after a Barbera trey with 1:40 remaining in the half, but the Lyons scored the next five points to trim the deficit to 28-25 at the break.
Trimboli tallied 12 of her 20 points before the intermission to lead the way for Wheaton. Meanwhile, Pascual had nine for Mount Holyoke.
The Lyons continued to rally in the early stages of the second stanza. They went in front 34-33 on a three-pointer by Chancy just over four minutes into the half.
Trimboli responded with a layup on Wheaton's ensuing possession, which triggered an 11-2 spurt. The hosts led 44-36 after junior guard Nicole Cullinane capped off the run with a layup midway through the second half.
Refusing to go away, Mount Holyoke regained the lead with an 11-2 run of its own over the next three minutes. The Lyons went ahead 47-46 after Hollinger converted a layup. They held a 49-47 edge after sophomore guard Jasmine Brown knocked in a jumper with 6:05 remaining in regulation.
Back-to-back baskets by Pierce gave Wheaton the lead for good. Her second was a conventional three-point play that gave her team a 52-49 lead with 3:11 to go.
Chase sliced the deficit to 52-51 on Mount Holyoke's next possession, but Trimboli put things out of reach with consecutive baskets over the next two minutes.
Mount Holyoke (3-12, 2-8 NEWMAC) will return to action on Monday, when it hosts Johnson and Wales University at 7:00 p.m.
