WELLESLEY, Mass. (Dec. 4, 2010) – First year guard Leslie Leong and sophomore forward Becca Kimball combined for 34 points and 16 rebounds, as the Wellesley College women's basketball team raced to a 56-31 victory over NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College this afternoon at the Keohane Sports Center.

Leong finished with 16 points and nine rebounds to set the tone for the Blue, who never trailed in the contest. She went 5-of-10 from the floor and knocked down all five of her free throw attempts. Five of her rebounds came at the offensive end. Meanwhile, Kimball knocked down 10 free throws en route to a game high 18 points. She also collected seven boards. Sophomore guard Malia Maier racked up seven steals to set the tone for the hosts defensively.

Mount Holyoke was paced by sophomore guard Angelica Pascual, who posted nine points, four assists and three steals. She went 4-of-10 from the floor for the Lyons, who were limited to just 28.3% (13-46) shooting as a team. First years Annabel Barrett and Jennine Vizcaino added four points and six boards apiece. Meanwhile, Senior guard Emilie Methot drained a pair of three-pointers en route to eight points.

Wellesley used a 9-2 run in the latter stages of the first half to gain control of the contest. Leong reeled off six points during the spurt, which spanned just over five minutes. She put the Blue in front 21-12 with a layup at the 2:38 mark. Her squad took a 23-15 advantage into the locker room.

Kimball led all scorers with seven points at the break, while Leong and junior guard Elisha Orama accounted for six apiece. Methot netted all eight of her points before the intermission.

Orama and Leong drained back-to-back three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second stanza to push Wellesley's lead to 29:15 with 18:25 remaining in regulation. A conventional three-point play by Pascual sliced the deficit to 29-20 just over a minute later.

From there, it was all Wellesley (5-1, 2-0 NEWMAC). The Blue outscored Mount Holyoke 23-8 over the final 16 minutes to put things away. They led by as many as 27 points (56-29) in the waning minutes.

Kimball and Leong scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the second period. Pascual had seven for the Lyons.  

Mount Holyoke (1-5, 0-2 NEWMAC) is slated to host longtime rival Smith College Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.