SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Feb. 15, 2012) – Using a balanced scoring attack, the Mount Holyoke College basketball team knocked off NEWMAC foe Springfield College 64-53 this evening at the Mildred S. Howard. After falling behind 17-8 in the early going, the Lyons erupted for a 22-4 run and never looked back. It was their second win in a row and first over the Pride since the 2006-07 season.

Four players reached double digits for Mount Holyoke, which converted 45.3% (24-53) of its shots from the field and 85.7% (12-14) of its free throws. The Lyons were paced by senior guard Christine Chancy, who collected 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.

First year forward Amber Legare recorded her fourth double-double of the year on 12 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, senior forward Tricia Chase and first year guard Kate Karraker chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Junior guard Jasmine Brown dished out six assists to round things out for the Lyons.

Springfield was led by senior guard Kelly Murphy, who finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Classmate Kelly Slattery recorded 13 points and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, first year forward Jaimie Bickelhaupt added six points and nine boards. The Pride shot 44.9% (22-49) from the floor.

Mount Holyoke's 22-4 explosion lasted just over eight minutes and featured a pair of three-pointers by Karraker. Her first came at the 12:31 mark of the first half and paved the way for a string of eight straight points. A long jumper by Legare put the Lyons in front 20-19 with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening period. They led 30-21 after a free throw by Karraker at the 4:07 mark and took a 34-25 advantage into the locker room. Legare paced the hosts with eight points before the break. Slattery had nine for Springfield.

A jumper by Chase gave Mount Holyoke a 38-27 cushion three minutes into the second stanza, but the Pride clawed their way back into the contest with a 10-2 spurt to slice the deficit to 40-37 at the 13:01 mark. Junior guard Meghan Biondolillo capped off the rally with a three-pointer from the right wing.

The Lyons responded with a 9-3 run and led 51-42 after a jumper by sophomore forward Jennine Vizcaino.

Refusing to go away, Springfield trimmed the lead to 57-53 on a conventional three-point play by Murphy with 1:14 remaining in regulation.

Mount Holyoke then closed out the game with seven straight points. In the process, the Lyons put the brakes on a nine-game losing streak against the Pride. Their final push included a 5-for-6 performance at the charity stripe.   

Both squads are slated to close out their regular seasons on Saturday. Mount Holyoke (6-17, 4-13 NEWMAC) will host Wheaton College at 1:00 p.m., while Springfield (12-12, 8-9 NEWMAC) will visit nationally-ranked Babson at 2:00 p.m.