SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Twelve different players scored to lead Plymouth State University to a 57-36 victory over Mount Holyoke College in non-conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium. The Panthers move to 4-6 to kick off 2016, while the Lyons slip to 0-11.
Leading the way for Plymouth State were first year guards Debra Morrill (Concord, N.H./Concord) and Jess Conant (Canton, Maine/Dirigo), who each recorded eight points on the day. Conant added a team-best three assists as well. Senior guard Taylor Perry (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) and first year guard Brittany Roche (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) each had six points, while first year guard Cassidy Emerson (Concord, N.H./Concord) posted five points and a team-high five rebounds.
For the Lyons, senior guard Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School) recorded a game-best 16 points and 11 rebounds. She also added game-high efforts in assists with five and steals with four. First year forward Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) also notched double-figures, posting 10 points with five boards, while senior forward Siyao Sui (ShenZhen, China/St. Mary's School (N.C.) had eight points and eight rebounds with a game-best two blocks.
It was a close contest in the opening quarter as a jumper by Sui made it a three-point game (11-8) with 1:35 on the clock. A three from Perry seconds later pushed the Plymouth State advantage to six, but a jumper from Hodges, followed by a free throw from Green in the closing seconds closed the gap for the Lyons to make it 14-11 PSU heading into the second quarter.
The Panthers opened the second stanza on a roll, going on a 19-0 run to open play. Eight of Plymouth State's points during the run came from Morrill, including back-to-back buckets with 3:26 to go for a 31-11 advantage. A layup from Green with 1:26 to go cut the deficit for MHC and a jumper by first year point guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) at the 11-second mark, made it a 33-15 score in favor of the visitors heading into halftime.
Plymouth State continued to press in the third quarter, jumping out to a 24-point (47-23) lead after a layup from junior guard Rosalie Edmonds (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown). The Panthers grabbed their largest lead of the contest (55-23) on a three-pointer from Roche with 40 seconds to play, but a jumper from Green helped cut the lead to 30 (55-25) for the final bucket of the third.
Mount Holyoke turned up the pressure in the final quarter outscoring Plymouth State by an 11-2 margin. Hodges, who scored six of her 10 points in the fourth stanza, sank a layup with 5:17 left to play to make it a 57-36 game. Despite the solid effort, the Lyons could not get closer as the Panthers defense held strong for the remainder.
Mount Holyoke is right back in action on Wednesday when it travels to New London, Conn., for a NEWMAC game at Coast Guard (7pm). Plymouth State is back on the court on Tuesday, hosting Newbury at 5:30pm.
