FRANKLIN, Mass. -- Abby Wemhoff's debut as head coach of the Mount Holyoke College basketball team was an eventful one, as the Lyons came back from a double-digit deficit to tie Dean College before the host Bulldogs prevailed 65-62 on Saturday afternoon.
A layup by senior Katie Rha (Douglaston, N.Y.) tied the game at 62-62 with 1:13 remaining, in the game's first tie since 6-6.
Tori Viau made a pair of free throws with 1:05 remaining to return the lead to Dean. After timeout, Mount Holyoke missed on two chances to re-tie the game, a layup and a follow-up jumper. Viau made another free throw for the three-point lead and the Lyons couldn't get a final shot off after she missed her second attempt.
Junior Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) poured in 19 points off the bench in her return to the team after a one-year hiatus. Twomey made 7-10 shots from the field and a career-high five 3-pointers on eight attempts, adding seven rebounds and two assists. Senior Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine), also returning after a year off, contributed six points, eight rebounds and two steals. First-year forward Helena Robinson (Gales Ferry, Conn.) had a stellar collegiate debut with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.) narrowly missed a double-double of her own with eight points and nine rebounds.
Viau finished with 37 points as the only Bulldog in double figures, shooting 13-19 from the field and 6-9 from three. Alexandria Paquet had nine points, eight rebounds and five blocks, Kendrah Doane had nine rebounds and four assists, and Abi Boutin had six assists and five steals.
Dean jumped out to a 21-8 lead after one quarter, as Mount Holyoke struggled out of the gate, making 4-20 shots and 0-9 from three, while Viau supercharged the Bulldogs with 7-7 shooting including 5-5 from long distance in the opening stanza.
Viau went scoreless in the second quarter as Mount Holyoke cut the lead to eight by halftime, led by eight points from Twomey and six more from McGonagle on a pair of threes.
Dean led by nine (49-40) after three quarters, as Viau scored eight points in the third period while Mount Holyoke got seven points from Rha but struggled with 10 turnovers.
An 8-0 spurt by the Lyons under the 9:00 mark of the fourth quarter, featuring a layup by sophomore Hannah Goen (New London, N.H.) and back-to-back threes by Twomey and Goen, made it a three-point game at 51-48 with 8:04 remaining, prompting a Dean timeout. A layup and a three by Viau returned a five-point edge to Dean, but Twomey answered with a three and a jumper to make it 56-53 with under 5:00 remaining.
Robinson converted a three-point play to again close the gap to three (59-56) with 2:34 left. Abi Boutin made a three for Dean and Robinson answered with a layup, followed two possessions later by a pair of free throws by first-year Melina Pena (Miami, Fla.) made it a two-point game at 62-60 with 96 seconds left. Rha completed the Lyons' long comeback effort with her game-tying layup with 1:13 to go.
Mount Holyoke will play its home opener Wednesday at 7pm against Wentworth Institute.
