AMHERST, Mass. (Nov. 20, 2012) – Amherst College got solid contributions from each end of the lineup on its way to a 62-32 defeat of Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday at LeFrak Gymnasium. With the win, the nationally-ranked Jeffs move to 3-0 on the young season. The visiting Lyons slip to 1-2 overall.
It was a close match to open the game as Mount Holyoke jumped out to a slight lead, going up 5-3 on a three-pointer from senior guard Angelica Pascual at the 17:37 mark. The Jeffs quickly found momentum though and regained the lead, taking an 11-point (18-7) advantage on a shot from three-point range by Cheyenne Pritchard.
Mount Holyoke would cut the deficit to eight (21-13) on a layup by first year guard Genelle Green with 8:12 to play, but Amherst pushed it back to a double-digit lead of 10 with 5:16 remaining. Green retaliated for the Lyons with her own shot from downtown to make it a 23-16 game with 3:50 on the clock, but a layup from Savannah Holness made it 28-19 and the Jeffs took at nine-point lead (28-19) into halftime.
Amherst came out firing to open the second half, taking advantage of an early foul for a pair of free throws by Marcia Voigt. The Jeffs went on a 12-0 run from that point, including four points from Bridget Crowley, to take a 41-19 lead with 16:02 left in the frame.
Pascual added a pair of free throw makes to cut the deficit to 21 (43-22), but Amherst continued to pour on the offense, going up by 26 points (50-24) on a layup by Holness. The Lyons continued to fight as sophomore forward Amber Legare took advantage with a pair of shots from the free throw line and first year Siyao Sui sank a layup to make it a 52-28 game with 7:05 left to play.
In the final stages of the game, Mount Holyoke saw sophomore guard Kate Karraker sink a layup, but back-to-back three-pointers from Virginia Hassell sealed the victory for the Jeffs.
Crowley led the Amherst effort, posting 10 points with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal. Pritchard added nine points and six rebounds, while three others chipped in with eight points, including Holness who had nine rebounds.
For Mount Holyoke, Green had a team-best 10 points and nine rebounds with four steals. Pascual added eight points with six rebounds, while Legare added six points.
Mount Holyoke is now idle until November 28 when its open NEWMAC play against Smith College. Game time is 7pm and will feature live stats at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm.
