In the opening minutes of the game WNEC jumped out to a five-point lead on a lay-up by junior Tiffany DeRosa (Hamden, Conn.) and a three-pointer from senior Sharon Simoncelli (Litchfield, Conn.). Mount Holyoke then proceeded to out-score WNEC, 12-4, over the next six minutes to obtain the 14-9 lead (12:10). WNEC regained control at the 9:37 mark off a three-pointer from Jenna Cullen (East Haddam, Conn.). Three more lead changes and one tie ensued before the Lyons were able to break-away with their largest lead of the half (eight) on a lay-up by junior Marisa Barone (Ludlow, Mass.). In the waning seconds of the half Jen Dabrowski ‘08 (Plainville, Conn.) drained a trey to cut WNEC’s deficit to a mere five points, 35-30.
It took the Golden Bears just 1:46 to regain the lead in the second half on an 8-2 run. First year Jessica Olson (Gilbert, Ariz.) drained a jump shot to put the Lyons up by one with 17:09 remaining—a lead they would not relinquish. MHC would bolster its margin to 18 points with 7:44 to go before WNEC attempted a comeback. The Golden Bears narrowed the deficit to five points with 1:03 left in the game; three WNEC players fouled-out, giving the Lyons an opportunity to hold-off the Bears at the charity stripe.
Angela Astuccio ’07 (Foxboro, Mass.) and Marisa Barone both recorded 10 points apiece in tonight’s victory. Astuccio also tallied a game-high six assists. Olson topped the team in rebounding with eight boards on the night. Mount Holyoke registered 12 steals, led by Silvey’s five, on 26 WNEC turnovers.
Tiffany DeRosa paced the Golden Bears with 16 points in the loss. Sharon Simoncelli notched a team-high 10 boards and chipped in nine points. Bear’s season-leading scorer Jen Dabrowski tallied 12 points and three steals on the night. WNEC shot 39.6% from the floor and 38.1% from behind the arc.
The Lyons return to NEWMAC action on Saturday, January 27th, when they travel to Worcester to face the Engineers of WPI at 2:00 p.m. The Golden Bears will face Southern Vermont the same day at 1:00 p.m.