SOUTH HADLEY, MA- Trailing 35-18 early in the second half, the Wheaton College women's basketball team stormed back with 36 of the game's next 52 points to upend host Mount Holyoke College, 54-51 during Wednesday night's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game in Howard Gymnasium.
Winning for the second time in three days, the Lyons raised their overall record to 5-6 and conference mark to 2-3, while Mount Holyoke slipped to 2-8 and 1-4.
For the second straight game, Wheaton put forward a balanced scoring attack. Junior Gabbie DePalo (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) and freshman Laura Pierce (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) turned in 12 points apiece, with DePalo yanking down a team-high-tying six rebounds and handing out a game-high-tying four assists.
Sophomore Natasha Colon Ortiz (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) finished with nine points and six rebounds, freshman Melissa McLaughlin (Spindale, NC/R-S Central) notched a season-best nine points with five boards, while sophomore Jeana Trimboli (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) added seven points, three assists and three steals.
Mount Holyoke sophomore Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, MA/Proctor Academy) paced all scorers with 16 points, junior Tricia Chase (Feeding Hills, MA/Cathedral) contributed 11 markers and six rebounds, while freshman Jennine Vizcaino (New York, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon School) had 10 boards and six points.
Five points by three different Lyons provided Wheaton with an early 5-0 edge, but the hosts answered in a big way, using a 20-4 run to build a 20-9 advantage at the 8:25 mark. After a Blue and White bucket, Mount Holyoke scored six straight to extend its lead to 26-11 with five minutes to go before the break. A Pierce three at 2:52 cut the Lyon deficit to 10 before the host Lyons went on a 6-0 spurt in doubling up Wheaton, 32-16. Pierce scored with six seconds left to make it 32-18.
The Lyons trailed 42-28 with just over 14 minutes to play before mounting their comeback. Wheaton ripped off 12 unanswered during a 2:41 span to get within 42-40, as DePalo posted half of her team's points in the stretch. The hosts made the score 47-41 at the 9:27 mark but were held to a mere four points the rest of the way, missing nine straight shots while connecting on just one field goal. The visitors used a 9-0 run to turn their six-point deficit into a 50-47 edge. Ortiz's lay-up with 7:30 to play gave Wheaton the lead for good.
The Lyons continue their five-game road swing in Worcester on Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. tip against NEWMAC foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).