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Under the direction of 11th-year head coach Michelle Scecina, the Mount Holyoke basketball team posted a record of 6-19 during the 2014-15 season. The Lyons went 3-13 in NEWMAC play, anchored by senior captain and forward Amber Legare, who was an All-Conference selection.
After a rough start to the season, which saw the Lyons go 1-7, Mount Holyoke rebounded in the middle of the season for a trio of exciting wins. Legare made history in a 50-49 victory over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on December 9, not only hitting the game-winning shot with one second to play, but also becoming just the 12th player in program history to record her 1,000th career point.
Returning from the holiday break, the Lyons shouldered a tough loss on the road at Wheaton, but earned their first NEWMAC victory on January 7 in a 71-61 win against Clark. MHC made it two-in-a-row on January 10, recording a 70-54 win over the University of Saint Joseph behind Legare's double-double of 24 points and 19 rebounds.
Mount Holyoke hit another rough patch in conference play, but steered back into the win column on January 21, when it earned a season-sweep of Clark in Worcester. The Lyons, aided by a game-best 20 points from senior guard Kate Karraker, won by a 45-41 margin.
After a tough home loss to Babson, MHC headed up the road to Smith College. Legare netted a game-best 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Lyons past the Pioneers, 54-52 in Northampton. The win was the first for MHC since the 2008-09 season.
Though the win over Smith would be the Lyons' last of the season, there were a number of outstanding efforts down the stretch, including another career milestone. Despite a 47-39 loss to Springfield on February 18, Karraker became the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points as she poured in a game-and-career best 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range.
Leading the team in scoring was Legare, who averaged 16.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest. She was one of just three players in the conference to average a double-double on the season. Legare also added 34 assists, 30 blocks and 26 steals as a starter in all 25 games. Karraker was second overall, averaging 15.4 points per game, including a 35.3% (85-of-241) from three-point range.
The two also were among the best in the NEWMAC in a number of categories as Legare was fourth and third in points and rebounding, respectively, while Karraker was tops in the conference in three-pointers made, minutes (89) and minutes per game (39.6). She was also fifth in points per game.
Junior guard Genelle Green averaged 6.8 points per game, while senior captain and forward Nicole DeMarchena averaged 6.2 points and 9.7 rebounds to go along with a team-best 67 blocks and 43 steals. She also finished the season ranked 14th in Division III and first in the NEWMAC in blocks per game (2.90).
At year's end, Legare was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team for the second straight season. The team also took part in community service events during the season, including unloading food trucks for the Amherst Survival Center during the January break.
• Finished 10th in the NEWMAC standings
• Posted wins against Elms, MCLA, Clark, St. Joseph and Smith
• Nicole DeMarchena '15 – Named to Rutland Herald Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team
• NEWMAC Player of the Week – Amber Legare '15 (12/15, 1/12)
• ECAC Division III New England Player of the Week – Amber Legare '15 (1/12)
• Amber Legare '15 named to NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team
