SOUTH HADLEY, MASS. – A strong defensive performance from Wellesley helped the Blue to a 79-18 victory over the Mount Holyoke basketball team in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday. The win lifts Wellesley to 7-12 overall and 4-8 in the conference, while the Lyons are now 0-20 overall and 0-12 in NEWMAC action.
Leading the way for the Blue was first year guard Lane Arkangel (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union), who matched her career-high with 16 points. She also added four points and four steals, while sophomore guard Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas/Easlake) registered 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Classmate guard Kendall You Mak (San Francisco, Calif./The Bay) had a game-high eight assists.
For MHC, senior Kate Rawson (Old Town, Main/Old Town) had a strong performance with a team-best seven points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Her effort on the boards eclipsed her previous best of 15 that she recorded against St. Joseph University on December 12, 2017. First year GraceAnne Woods (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove) added five points and two rebounds, while junior guard Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) posted a four rebound, two assist effort.
With Wellesley holding the lead after a solid first quarter performance, the Blue continued to apply pressure in the second stanza, adding four points to their run. Mount Holyoke responded with a run of their own as Woods corralled her own shot and was sent to the line to sink the Lyons first points of the quarter. On the next possession, junior guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) leapt up for a block that lead to a jumper on the other end for first year guard Raquel Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I./Providence Country Day School). The Lyons got it done on the defensive end once again as classmate Susan Percival (Hyattsville, Md./McLean School) poked the ball loose, leading to a layup for Rawson to complete a 5-0 run for MHC. Wellesley slowed the game down and ended the quarter on a 9-2 swing to head into the break up, 42-9.
The Blue kept up the momemtum in the third quarter only allowing a field goal and a free throw to head in to the fourth with a sizable advantage. After opening up the fourth with eight straight points, Woods once again broke the run with a layup to make it 69-14 with 7:23 to go. Despite buckets from Rawson and Fitzpatrick down the stretch, the Blue's constant pressure prevailed.
Both teams are back in action at 7:00pm on Wednesday as Wellesley returns home to host Wheaton, and Mount Holyoke heads to MIT.
