NORTON, Mass. - In the first battle of the "Lyons" this season, the Wheaton College Lyons came out victorious, defeating the Mount Holyoke Lyons 62-39 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest in Emerson Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The win is the first NEWMAC win of the season for Wheaton, while Mount Holyoke is 0-8.
Senior Sophia Black ended the afternoon with the games only double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the victory. The double-double is Black's second of the season. Sophomore Jill Bodreau ended the contest with 11 points, while Abby Hamilton chipped in nine off the bench.
Xajaah Williams-Flores (The Bronx, N.Y./Holderness School) finished the game one rebound shy of a double-double for Mount Holyoke, knocking down 13 points and collecting a team-high nine boards. Genesis DiCarlo (Sullivan, Maine/Sumner Memorial) scored eight points and earned eight rebounds for the Lyons.
After falling behind 5-0 to start the opening quarter, Mount Holyoke came surging back to take a 10-7 lead with 4:34 to go with baskets from Katlyn Grover (Bernardaston, Mass./Stoneleigh Burnham School), Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) and Williams-Flores. Mount Holyoke retained possession of the lead throughout the remainder of the quarter and throughout the second frame, capturing its largest lead at the 6:54 mark. A jumper from Williams-Flores handed the visiting Lyons a 25-15 advantage. Wheaton fought its way back, ending the second quarter on a 10-1 run to pull within a point at the intermission.
Wheaton carried its momentum into the second half, putting in a total team effort in the third and fourth quarters. A quick layup to start the third quarter by first-year Lexi L'Heureux-Carland earned Wheaton just its second lead of the game. Wheaton kept its foot on the accelerator, taking a 10-point, 40-30, lead with 2:16 left in the third frame courtesy of a Black layup. Hamilton pushed the Wheaton lead to 20 (59-39) with 3:02 left to go in the game with a three-pointer. The play was set-up after a steal by first-year Sara McLeman put the ball in the hands of Rebecca Olivieri who dished the ball to an open Hamilton. Maria Matrango earned Wheaton it's largest lead of the game, 62-39, with a made free-throw with just over a minute remaining.
Wheaton held a 50-32 advantage off the glass, while both teams turned the ball over 20 times. As it's done all season, the Wheaton bench played a crucial role in the teams success, contributing 20 of the teams 62 points.
Mount Holyoke will compete again on Monday against Plymouth State University at 6:00pm. Wheaton returns to the court on Wednesday at 7:00pm for a NEWMAC contest at the Coast Guard Academy.
