SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Fourteen different players recorded points, including a game-high 18 from seniors Kristen Ferola and Linnett Graber, to lead Babson College to a 116-31 win at Mount Holyoke College in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both teams.
The Beavers improve to 3-2 on the young season and are 1-0 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 0-6 and are 0-1 in the NEWMAC.
Ferola (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) also posted a game-high 11 rebounds with three assists, a block and three steals. Graber (Roseland, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) added five boards, two assists, a block and a steal, while senior guard Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass./Bishop Feehan) had 13 points and a game-best five steals. Junior guard Taylor Russell (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) and sophomore forward Brenna LeGacy (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) each had 10 points.
The Lyons were paced by senior guard Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School), who had 11 points to go along with two rebounds, an assist and two steals. Senior forward Siyao Sui (ShenZhen, China/St. Mary's School (N.C.) and first year guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) each had six points, while senior guard Kelly Stewart (La Cañada, Calif./La Cañada) and junior forward Xajaah Williams-Flores (The Bronx, N.Y./Holderness School) each had a team-high six rebounds.
Babson jumped out to an early lead in the opening quarter, owning a 14-point (16-2) margin at 4:39 on a layup from Ferola. Mount Holyoke got one back as Green posted a layup, but a three by first year guard Elizabeth Lane (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) kicked off a 10-0 run for the visitors for a 30-6 lead after the first 10 minutes.
A pair of free throws by Green to open the second frame helped cut the Lyons deficit to 22 points (30-8), but recovered quickly with a 9-2 run at the mid-way point to take a 41-12 advantage with 5:32 to play following a Cicchetti layup. Despite several steals, MHC was unable to gain momentum as the Beavers headed into the locker room with a 54-12 lead at halftime.
The two teams went back-and-forth to open the third, but the Beavers took control at the 9:21 mark with an 18-0 run for a 75-14 edge with 4:20 to play in the stanza. A layup from Hodges helped cut the margin at 2:41, but Babson headed into the final quarter with an 85-16 advantage.
Hodges kicked-off the scoring in the final period, notching back-to-back buckets followed by a pair of makes at the line by Sui to make it a 91-22 game with 7:13 to play. The Lyons were plagued by turnovers, allowing the Beavers to capitalize with a 14-0 run, including six straight points from senior forward Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass./Scituate).
Mount Holyoke saw Green nail a shot from downtown and four points by first year guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) helped the Lyons down the stretch, but the Beavers continued to press over the final 1:16 for the final margin.
Both teams return to NEWMAC action on Wednesday as Mount Holyoke travels to Springfield, while Babson hosts Emerson. Both contests are set for 7pm tip-offs.
