SOUTH HADLEY, MASS. – Emerson College used a strong first quarter, and a career high 29 points from sophomore guard Charlie Boyle, to boost the Lions past Mount Holyoke College, 75-62 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) basketball action on Saturday afternoon. Emerson improves to 11-10 overall and 4-8 in conference play, while MHC slips to 2-18 overall and 0-13 in the NEWMAC.
In addition to 29 points on 14-16 shooting, Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif./Scotts Valley) also notched a near double-double with eight rebounds. Senior guard Elizabeth Horan (Ashland, Mass./Marian) also had a solid performance with 11 points, including three timely treys. Junior forward Sierra Ducey (Poway, Calif./The Bishop's School) had a productive outing with nine boards, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.
For the Lyons, first year Kathryn Violette (Yokosuka City, Japan/Yokohama International School) and classmate Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass./Stoneleigh Burnham School) had their best games to date. Violette scored a career-high 21 points and two steals, while going 6-7 from the charity-stripe. Grover scored her career high as well with 19 points, including four three-pointers.
Emerson began the first quarter with an 8-0 run, ignited by a three-pointer from junior guard Maya Savino (Killingworth, Conn./Haddam Killingworth). MHC junior guard Genesis DiCarlo (Sullivan, Maine/Sumner Memorial) broke the run with a layup, but the Lions got the lead back up to 11 after a Boyle free throw. Violette scored four straight points to cut the deficit to 15-6 at the 4:03 mark, but first year Kate Foultz (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Newbury Park) knocked down a free throw in the last :05 to push the lead back to double-figures heading into the second.
Grover opened up the quarter for the Lyons with a three from the wing, making it her 10th consecutive game with a made three-pointer. Savino countered with a three of her own on the next possession to go up 23-13, which sparked an 8-2 run for the visiting Lions. MHC began to mount a comeback as Grover connected on a jumper with 4:19 to go. Emerson's Horan knocked down a three to push the score to 34-17, but four points from Violette in the final 3:37 brought the score to within 10 (34-24) heading into halftime.
Mount Holyoke came out with solid momentum in the third, after Violette scored five straight to bring the score to 38-32. Emerson pushed the lead back out to 14 points behind an eight-point effort from Boyle in a 1:04 span.
Down 12 and on the cusps of breaking a double-digit deficit, DiCarlo connected on an old-fashioned three-point play to bring the score to within six at the three-minute mark. Horan halted the effort with a deep three to send the Lions into the fourth with a 50-40 lead.
Grover opened up a fast-paced fourth quarter with her second trey of the game for MHC, but sophomore guard Natalie Busch (Weybridge, England/Tasis) came back 10 seconds later with a three to push the lead back to 14 for the Lions.
Emerson got up by as much as 17, but Grover knocked down another trey on the ensuing possession to bring it back down to 13. Just two plays later Grover connected on a deep jumper from downtown to cut the deficit to 67-56 with 3:22 to go. Boyle scored four straight points to bump the lead back up to 15. The Lyons scored six points in the last 1:17, but the comeback fell short.
Mount Holyoke will have a quick turnaround, hosting Norwich University at 7:00pm on Tuesday in non-conference action. Emerson will be back in action on Wednesday, hosting conference leader Babson at 7:30pm.
