SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Double-digit scoring off the bench from first year guard Katie Jones and junior guard Katherine Tamulionis propelled Babson College past Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday. The 91-27 victory lifts Beavers to 13-6 overall and 9-2 in conference play, while the Lyons are now 0-19 overall and 0-11 in the NEWMAC.
Leading the Beavers was Jones (Ridgewood, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) with 14 points and three steals. Tamulionsis added 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds, while classmate Elizabeth Lane (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) registered none points, three assists, and four steals.
For the Lyons, first year guard Raquel Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I./Providence Country Day School) had a team-high 12 points and a pair of boards. Junior guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) added six points, four rebounds, and two helpers. First year guard Susan Percival (Hyattsville, Md./McLean School) brought energy off the bench to score four points, two rebounds, and a steal.
Babson opened up the game with a pair of buckets inside before Fitzpatrick answered with the Lyons first bucket to make it 5-2. The Beavers grabbed back momentum with a 9-0 run culminated by back-to-back buckets from junior forward Payton Ouimette (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) to push the lead to 15-2. Hodges stopped the run with a jumper, but 4:06 to go, but the Beavers added seven more points to go up 22-4 at the end of one.
In the second quarter, the Beavers used transition buckets to spark a 10-0 run. Fitzpatrick knocked down a free throw and a layup to cut into the deficit, but Babson kept up the pressure, ending the quarter on a run that led to a 39-7 lead at the break.
The Lyons came out of halftime with energy, and forced a miss on the first possession, but Ouimettee corralled her own miss for the put-back. Fitzpatrick answered with five points, including a deep trey to cut into the lead, making it 45-12. Lane got out in transition for a bucket that sparked a 16-0 run for the Beavers. Lane had six points during the stretch. Percival came off the bench for the Lyons and scored a quick bucket off a tough drive to the hoop, which was followed by a made jumper from junior guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) to make it 63-16 heading into the fourth.
The Lyons were the first on the board in the fourth as senior forward Kate Rawson (Old Town, Maine/Old town) sunk a free throw. Tamulionis answered with a shot from deep, leading to another run for the Beavers. Fitzpatrick stopped the run with a jumper with 7:12 to go followed by two from Hodges at the line to cut the lead down to 77-21. Babson gained back momentum down the stretch to cruise to a 91-27 victory.
Next up, Babson ventures to Tufts on Monday for a 7:00pm tip-off time, while Mount Holyoke is back at Mildred S. Howard Gym next Saturday, facing Wellesley College at 1:00pm.
