SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by points from 11 different players, including double-digits from two, Springfield College defeated Mount Holyoke College, 71-30 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Pride are now 15-9 overall and 9-6 in conference play. The Lyons, who honored their three seniors prior to the game, close out their home schedule at 0-23 with an 0-15 NEWMAC mark.
Senior forward Emily Gins (Fort Meyers, Fla./Oakwood Friends) posted 12 points and seven rebounds on the evening, adding two assists, a block and two steals over 31 minutes played. Junior guard Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass./Thayer Academy) chipped in 11 points with four boards and an assist, while first year forward Gracie Restituyo (Jersey City, N.J./Barrington) had a game-best 11 rebounds to go along with nine points, two assists and a steal.
For the Lyons, senior guard Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School) notched her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two assists. Classmate and forward Siyao Sui (Shenzhen, China/St. Mary's School (N.C.) added six points with four boards and a steal, while junior forward Xajaah Williams-Flores (The Bronx, N.Y./Holderness School) had four points and four caroms.
It was a close game to start as Springfield led by just two (8-6) after a Green jumper with 3:38 to go. The Pride quickly answered as a pair of free throw makes by sophomore forward Heather King (Lebanon, N.H./Lebanon) and a jumper by Gins opened the margin to 15-9 with 1:28 to play.
Leading 15-8 after the opening quarter, the Pride grabbed their largest lead thus far at the 8:35 mark as junior center Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow) sank a layup. MHC tried to battle back, but a quick 3-0 run for the visitors pushed the lead to 12 points, and a 5-0 run over the final 1:26 sent Springfield into halftime with a 27-12 advantage.
The Pride carried the momentum into the third quarter, going on a 13-0 run to open the frame. Windwer keyed the effort during the run with eight points, including two three pointers. A trey by senior guard Kelly Stewart (La Cañada, Calif./La Cañada), followed by makes at the line by Sui helped close the gap to 40-17, but surged once more behind consecutive three's from sophomore guard Georgia Ford (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) to head into the final stanza up 49-21.
A six-point effort by Restituyo in the fourth quarter helped put the game away for the visitors, who shot 41.8% (28-of-67) from the floor for the game. The Pride also held the advantage off the glass with a 48-30 edge.
Both teams conclude their regular season schedules on Saturday as Mount Holyoke travels to Babson (1pm), while Springfield hosts Wellesley (12pm).
