SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Three players recorded double-figures, including a game-best 20 points from Micaela Martinelli, to lead the Coast Guard Academy to an 85-30 victory over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Wednesday evening. With the victory, the Bears even their record to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The Lyons slip to 0-16 and 0-9 in the NEWMAC.
Martinelli (Vero Beach, Calif./Vero Beach), a junior guard, added five rebounds and an assist to go along with her game-high points. First year guard Brenna Farrington (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) came off the bench to score 18 with five rebounds, while senior captain and forward Gillian Gerton (Lorton, Va./Bishop Dennis J. O'Connell) posted 10 points, four assists, three steals and three blocks.
For the homestanding Lyons, junior captain Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) notched 13 points with three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. classmate and guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) added seven points and three steals, while first year GraceAnne Woods (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove) had six points.
Coast Guard opened up a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before the Lyons bounced back to tie things at 6-all behind a layup from Allen at the 7:01 mark. The score remained tight until the 4:58 mark as Farrington nailed a pair of free throws and first year guard Annabella Farabaugh (Atlanta, Ga./Marist High) drained a three-pointer to make it a 15-6 advantage. A late layup from Allen cut MHC's deficit to 12 (22-10) with 43 seconds left, but the Bears headed into the second quarter with a 24-10 advantage.
The visitors opened with a 4-0 run to open the second frame, but a jumper from Hodges pulled the Lyons back at the 8:15 mark. Coast Guard countered, edging out again behind another trey from Farabaugh at 4:45 (37-13). The offensive momentum continued to sway in the Bears favor as they went into halftime with a 48-18 lead.
Both teams opened with back-to-back buckets as Martinelli opened the scoring in the third quarter, countered by a layup from MHC first year guard Raquel Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I./Providence Country Day School). Coast Guard went end to end as Martinelli drained a three, followed by Hodges pulling the Lyons to 53-22 on a close-range jumper.
Martinelli completed her seven-point straight run soon after and Coast Guard went on a 12-2 run over the final 7:18 of the frame to carry a 69-24 lead into the final stanza.
Coast Guard's defense continued to prove tough in the fourth quarter, outshooting the Lyons by a 16-6 margin, including points from five different scorers, to give the Bears the conference victory.
Mount Holyoke returns to the court on Saturday when it hosts Bryn Mawr in non-conference action at 1pm. Coast Guard travels to Nichols on Thursday for a 7pm tilt.
