Basketball Drops Home Opener to Elmira, 54-39

Basketball Drops Home Opener to Elmira, 54-39

South Hadley, Mass. - November 20, 2021 - Senior forward Annika Brooks (Portland, Maine) finished with a team-best 17 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals but the Mount Holyoke College basketball team fell to visiting Elmira College, 54-39, at Howard Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, Elmira improves to 4-0 while Mount Holyoke is now 1-1 on the year.

For the Lyons, Mikayla McEwen (South Hadley, Mass.) chipped in seven points and five rebounds, while Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) finished with five points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Leading the Eagles was Desiree Roy who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Taylor Albrecht finished with eight points to go along with 14 boards and two assists.

Mount Holyoke shot 15-for-72 (20.8%) in the setback while Elmira was 20-for-58 (34.5%) from the field in the victory. Elmira held a 57-48 advantage on the boards as the Eagles bench outscored the Lyons bench 21-6.

Trailing 5-4 midway through the first quarter, McGonagle converted a lay-up to make it 6-5, Lyons, before a pair of free throws from Brooks pushed the hosts' lead to three, holding an 8-5 lead with 2:19 to play in the first. From there, the Eagles pulled to within one but Brooks hit a lay up and converted a free throw at the end of the quarter to give Mount Holyoke an 11-9 lead at the end of one.

Albrecht tied the game up at 11 just 1:44 into the second quarter before the Lyons took a 15-11 lead following a three-point play from McEwen at the 6:43 mark. From there, Brooks would give Mount Holyoke a six-point, 19-13 lead, before Elmira came crawling back and evened the score at 21 apiece on a three-pointer from Olivia Ayres with 1:47 to play in the first half. Ayres would convert another from distance to send the Eagles into the halftime break leading 24-23.

Albrecht hit a jumper with 6:57 left in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 30-28 advantage before the Eagles scored the next 13 unanswered points to control a 15-point lead with 1:37 to play in the frame. Isabel Cordes (Yorktown, Va.) ended the run with a basket at the 1:14 mark after collecting an offensive rebound and converting a lay-up, before Brooks ended the quarter with a jumper that pulled the Lyons to within nine.

Mount Holyoke pulled to within seven on another made basket by Brooks, but that was the closes the Lyons would get as Elmira pulled away for the 54-39 victory.

Up next, the Lyons will return to Howard Gymnasium on Sunday, November 21 and will take on the Eagles once again at 1 p.m.

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