SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Freshman Kenzie Kuhn (Glenwood Springs, Colo./Glenwood Springs) capped her freshman campaign with 16 points, eight assists, and three steals in Wheaton College's 66-62 loss to Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium. The loss ends the Lyons season at 9-16 (7-11 NEWMAC).
Classmate Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) and sophomore guard Melissa McLaughlin (Spindale, N.C./R-S Central) chipped in with 12 points each for the Lyons, who knocked down 47 percent of their shots (23-of-49) from the field and 82 percent of their free throws (9-of-11). They were also effective from long range, netting seven three-pointers - including a pair form both Kuhn and McLaughlin - and outrebounded the home team 30-27.
MHC freshman Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) piled up a game-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. The rookie made all seven of her free throws and added four rebounds and a pair of steals. Legare was joined in double-digits by junior guard Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, Mass./Proctor Academy (N.H.), who knocked down three shots from beyond the arc en route to 17 points. Senior guard Christine Chancy (Miami, Fla./Miami Country Day School) finished with 10 points, eight boards and three assists.
After falling behind 16-11 in the early going, Mount Holyoke (7-17, 5-13 NEWMAC) reeled off a 17-2 run to gain control of the contest. Pascual sparked the rally with nine points on a three-pointer, a long jumper and a layup. Mount Holyoke enjoyed a 28-18 cushion following a driving layup by junior Jasmine Brown (Enfield, Conn./Watkinson School) at the 5:25 mark and took a 32-27 edge into the locker room. Legare led all scorers at the break with eight while Kuhn had seven to pace Wheaton.
A short jumper by senior Tricia Chase (Feeding Hills, Mass./Cathedral) put Mount Holyoke in front 45-40 at the 12:22 mark of the second stanza, but Wheaton responded with 10 straight points to regain the upper hand at 55-45. Junior guard Gabby Barbera (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) sparked the run with back-to-back three-pointers to put the guests in front. Later, a jumper by McLaughlin gave the Lyons a 59-55 lead with 3:22 remaining in regulation.
MHC sophomore Amanda Barrett (Williamstown, Mass./Mount Greylock Regional) started the Lyons rally with a driving layup that cut the Wheaton deficit in half, and Chancy gave the Lyons a 60-59 lead with a three-pointer from the right side. The Lyons iced the game with a 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe in the waning minutes.
Senior Gabbie DePalo (Rumson, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) capped a stellar four-year career at Wheaton with eight points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of action and finished her career No. 1 all-time in field goal pct. (.535). Fellow senior Nicole Cullinane (Rindge, N.H./New Hampton School) went for seven points, four assists, and two rebounds.