SOUTH HADLEY, MASS. – Three players in double figures powered Emerson College to an 89-35 victory over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) basketball action on Tuesday. With the win, the Lions improve to 5-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while MHC slips to 0-12 overall and 0-6 in the NEWMAC.
Leading Emerson was first year forward Sam Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif./Scotts Valley) with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Junior forward Charlie Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif./Scotts Valley) also had a strong game with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Leena Kardacz (Harleysville, Pa./Germantown Academy) came off the bench for 12 points to go along with six boards and a pair of steals.
For Mount Holyoke, first year forward GraceAnne Woods (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove) led the way with 12 points and a steal. Junior guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) had a solid outing with eight points, eight rebounds, and a pair of helpers, while first year guard Raquel Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I./Providence Country Day School) recorded six points and five boards.
After the Lyons opened up the first quarter with a layup from Woods in the first minute, C. Boyle knocked down a jumper on the next possession to ignite an 18-2 run. With 1:21 to go in the frame, Hodges halted the run with a jumper, but the visitors closed the quarter with a pair of buckets in the last minute to make it 22-8 heading into the second.
The squads traded buckets to begin the stanza, but the Lyons gained momentum after a trey from senior guard Maya Savino (Killingworth, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) launched a 10-point run to make it 37-12. Woods got to the line to knock down a pair of free throws to close the gap, but Emerson had another strong close to the quarter, scoring the eight points to go up 45-14 heading into the half.
In the second half, Emerson kept the foot on the pedal, holding MHC to just two points in the third. In the fourth quarter, a layup from Fitzpatrick with six minutes to go sparked a seven point run, including five consecutive points from woods to cut the lead to 74-31. Emerson gained momentum back and only gave up three more points for the remainder of the game to seal the 89-35 victory.
Mount Holyoke will play the back-end of its two-game home stretch on Thursday, hosting Clark University at 7:00pm, while Emerson heads back home on Saturday, facing Springfield College at 1:00pm.
