PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior DeAsia 'Ace' Lawrence and sophomore Kailyn Aguiar scored 13 and 12 points respectively, helping lead Plymouth State University past Mount Holyoke College, 63-44, in women's college basketball action at Foley Gymnasium on Monday night. The Panthers improve to 4-9 overall, while the Lyons slip to 2-13 on the season.
PSU led from start to finish, with Lawrence opening the scoring with a triple. Plymouth held a 7-6 lead halfway through the first quarter when the hosts used a 15-3 run to close the quarter with a 22-9 advantage. The lead was never in jeopardy through the remainder of the game.
For Plymouth, Lawrence posted a game-high 13 points and two assists. Aguia scored 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Leah Swanson (Atkinson, N.H.) notched nine points, two steals and two assists
For MHC, Freshman Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass., Stoneleigh Burnham School) scored a team-high 11 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn., Kolbe Cathedral) notched 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, while, Senior Xajaah Williams-Flores (The Bronx, N.Y., Holderness School) had eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Lawrence opened the scoring by connecting from beyond the arc and the teams traded baskets over the first five minutes. Aguiar hit from inside, followed by Lawrence's second long ball, to spark a 13-0 run for the Panthers.
Grover stopped the run with a three-pointer of her own, before Aguiar closed the scoring with a layup to give the hosts a 22-9 advantage after one.
PSU opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run, upping the lead to 32-11, after Swanson hit twice from close range. Grover nailed her second triple to slow the run, but Swanson answered from downtown for the Panthers.
Senior Lindsy Poulin (Goffstown, N.H.) got in the scoring column with a layup, but Allen answered for MHC with a bucket just before the half expired to make it 41-21 at the break.
Hodges had a pair of buckets in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but the Panthers answered with eight-straight points. A jumper from sophomore Jess Conant (Canton, Maine) capped the run, giving PSU its largest lead, 54-27, with 4:59 left in the frame.
Mount Holyoke scored ten-straight points through the first half of the final quarter, cutting the Panther lead to 57-40, but an Aguiar jumper slowed the run. The two teams traded buckets, with a Conant layup making the final score 63-44.
Mount Holyoke will look to stop its nine-game skid on Saturday when the Lyons host Babson College in a NEWMAC game at 1:00 p.m. The Panthers will continue their four-game home stand with an LEC game against rival Keene State on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.).
