South Hadley, Mass. - November 9, 2019 - Junior forward Annika Brooks (Portland, Maine) netted 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds but the Mount Holyoke College basketball team fell to Lasell College, 67-34, at Howard Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
With Saturday's contest being the first of the 2019-20 season for both squads, Lasell improves to 1-0 while the Lyons fall to 0-1. Mount Holyoke College shot 22.7 percent (15-for-66) in the setback, while the Lazers were 26-of-58 (44.8%) in the victory. The Lyons outrebounded Lasell, 45-44, and had 16 points in the paint.
Along with a team-best 17 points and 11 rebounds from Brooks, Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass.) also chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Ellie Hayward (Westmoreland, N.H.) collected nine rebounds and four points in the setback.
For Lasell, Amanda Ortiz (Newton, Mass.) led the way with a game-high 18 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while Peyton Young (Douglas, Mass.) had 11 and Precious Montgomery (Bridgeport, Conn.) totaled 10 points in the victory.
Mount Holyoke College took a 4-2 lead on a pair of free-throws from Brooks just 2:03 into the contest, before a lay-up from the junior pushed the Lyons' lead to four at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame. Brooks and Olive Oswald (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.) both converted lay-ups to keep the game even at 10 with 3:30 to play, but the Lazers would end the frame on a 13-0 run to take a 23-10 lead after 10 minutes of action.
Lasell continued to build on its lead before Grover canned a jumper at the 7:28 mark to pull the Lyons back to within 15, but the Lazers' defense proved strong, leading the visitors into the halftime break with a 39-12 advantage.
A jumper from Brooks with 7:24 to play in the third quarter sparked momentum for the Lyons, as Grover would follow up with back-to-back jumpers before drilling a three-pointer that gave Mount Holyoke College 21 points.
The fourth quarter was the best quarter for Mount Holyoke College, as they held a 13-8 scoring advantage in the frame which included seven points from Brooks. The junior made a lay-up just 52 seconds into the fourth quarter before adding three more with a lay-up and then a free throw, before Hayward scored back-to-back baskets for the Lyons. Despite the successful stanza, the Lyons dropped their season opener to Lasell, 67-34.
Up next, Mount Holyoke College will return home to Howard Gymnasium on Tuesday, November 12 as the Lyons will host Worcester State University at 7 p.m.
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