SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Three players reached double-figures, including 20 points from junior guard Erin Young, as Babson College held off Mount Holyoke College for a 65-51 victory in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday. With the win, the Beavers move to 11-10 overall and 11-6 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 5-16 and 2-14 in the NEWMAC.
The visitors held a 44-26 lead at halftime as Young (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) came off the bench to nail down 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Sophomore guard Briana Hunt (Newton, Mass./Newton South) also reached double-figures in the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 11 points.
Despite the lead through the opening half, the Beavers were faced with a resilient Mount Holyoke squad in the second stanza, which worked to cut the deficit down to 10 points (50-40) behind a 9-0 run. That span saw junior forward Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) record three straight buckets.
Back-to-back shots from first year Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass./Phillips Andover Academy) pushed the lead back to 14 points (54-40) with 9:28 remaining the contest, but another layup from Legare helped keep the Lyons in it.
A layup off the fingertips of senior Jennine Vizcaino (New York, N.Y./Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) dropped the margin down to 57-44 with 5:51 to play, but Mount Holyoke could not contain the Beavers offense, which ripped off five straight points for an 18 point (62-44) lead with 3:27 on the clock.
MHC once again matched the basket, but an ensuing three-pointer from Young gave the visitors a 19-point edge (65-46) with just 2:16 to play. The Lyons got buckets down the stretch from Legare and sophomore Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School), but could not get any closer.
For the Beavers, Young was stellar from beyond the arc, going 6-of-9 from three-point range for a team-best 20 points. She also added three assists and two steals. Hunt added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds, while Pickering chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds and a game-best four steals.
Legare recorded game-highs in both points and rebounds with 21 and 18, respectively. Of her 21 points, 12 came in the second half. She also added two blocks and a steal. Junior captain Kate Karraker (Morgantown, W.V./Taft School (Conn.) chipped in with nine points, while junior Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla./Amherst Regional (Mass.) paced the game with three blocks, also contributing four points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
MHC returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Coast Guard for a 7:30pm tilt. The Beavers are back on the court on Tuesday at Tufts for a 7pm game.
