CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Feb. 12, 2011) – Led by sophomore guard Angelica Pascual, the Mount Holyoke College women's basketball team earned a dramatic 44-39 victory over MIT this afternoon at the Rockwell Cage. Trailing by 17 points with just over 13 minutes to go, the Lyons staged a furious comeback to seal their fifth NEWMAC triumph of the season. With the win, they secured a season split with the Engineers.

Pascual drained three shots from beyond the arc during the run and finished with a game best 17 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds for the guests, who finished with a 38-36 edge on the glass. Junior guard Christine Chancy tallied eight points and nine boards, while Emilie Methot and Annabel Barrett added six points apiece. The Lyons converted 33.3% (17-51) of their shots from the field. All five of their treys came during their late rally.

MIT was paced by first year guard Tamara Pena, who canned three treys en route to 15 points.  First year center Rachel Hunt chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds for the hosts, who made 32.7% (16-49) of their shots from the floor.

After falling behind 6-0 in the early going, Mount Holyoke gained a 10-8 lead on a layup by Pascual midway through the first half. MIT scored the next 10 points to gain control of the contest. The Engineers enjoyed an 18-10 cushion after a Hunt layup at the 4:44 mark. They took a 20-14 advantage into the locker room. Pascual and Pena each collected six points before the break.

MIT (8-14, 4-12 NEWMAC) exploded out of the gate in the second stanza, scoring 13 of the first 15 points. Pena netted three shots from beyond the arc to spark the rally. Her third put the Engineers in front 33-16 with 13:01 remaining in regulation.

From there, it was all Mount Holyoke. The Lyons erupted for a 28-6 run down the stretch to close out their fifth win in their last nine outings.

Chancy got things started with a three-pointer at the 11:31 mark and drained another just over two minutes later to cut the deficit to 35-24. The guests continued to chip away before finally taking a 40-39 lead after back-to-back treys by Pascual. From there, Methot connected on four straight free throws over the final two minutes to ice things for the Lyons.

Pascual scored 11 of her 17 points in the final 10 minutes.

Mount Holyoke (7-15, 5-11 NEWMAC) will resume its NEWMAC slate on Wednesday, when it hosts the Coast Guard Academy at 7:00 p.m.