PAXTON, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College basketball team kept it close for three quarters before host Anna Maria College pulled away for a 69-49 non-conference win on Thursday night.

Marinique Reddin led the Amcats (3-5) with 23 points, making 10-of-17 shots from the field. Chloe Giordano added 14 points for the hosts, with both players sharing the team lead with seven rebounds apiece.

First-year Libby Harris (Foxborough, Mass.) led Mount Holyoke with a season-high 16 points, making 6-10 shots from the field and 4-8 from three. Sophomore Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and also dished out a season-high six assists.

Mount Holyoke (1-8) played some of its sharpest basketball this season during the first half, shooting 6-for-13 from the floor in both the first and second quarters while shooting 4-for-9 from three-point territory over the course of the half.

Unfortunately for Mount Holyoke, Anna Maria posted similar shooting numbers in the first half and held on to a short lead for most of the way. A 3-pointer by Giordano gave Anna Maria a nine-point lead (27-18) briefly with 4:10 to go, before Twomey answered with a three, beginning an 11-2 run by the Lyons that tied the game at 29-29. A layup by Megan Burdett returned the lead to Anna Maria just before the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Lyons continued to play well into the third quarter and trailed by only three (43-40) with 1:21 to play in the period. But Anna Maria finished the quarter with six unanswered points, and extended the run to 12-0 early in the fourth quarter before Mount Holyoke ended it with a 3-pointer by Harris on a pass from junior Isabel Cordes (Yorktown, Va.), cutting the deficit to 55-43. Anna Maria maintained its momentum despite the shot, expanding its lead to a game-high 20 points at game's end.

First-year Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) scored nine points with four rebounds and three assists, and junior Teal Howle (Florence, S.C.) made her first start and gave the Lyons a lift, draining 2-of-2 shots from deep.

Mount Holyoke will play at home for the first time in five games on Saturday at noon, hosting Connecticut College.