Lyons split regular season series with Pioneers

NORTON, Mass. – Down by two points with 11-seconds remaining and a chance to tie or win the game with the final possession, a costly turnover proved to be the difference for the Wheaton College women's basketball team as the Lyons dropped a 65-61 decision to Smith College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon inside Emerson Gymnasium.  

Pioneers' senior forward Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn./Chase Collegiate) buried two free throws on the visitors next possession with five ticks on the scoreboard to seal a split against the Lyons in the regular season series which was decided by just seven points.

Wheaton sophomore forward Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) registered her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 20 points, ten rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block. Shoemaker shot 5-for-10 from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Junior forward Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) turned in her ninth-straight double digit game with 13 points and eight rebounds. Classmate Kirsten Ferrari (Lynn, Mass./Saint Mary's) added ten points, three assists and one steal. Senior forward Lauren McClelland (Scituate, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) hauled in eight rebounds, dished out three assists and collected a pair of blocks and steals in 19 minutes off the bench.

Senior center Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) led all scorers with 26 points (11-for-18) and 14 rebounds. Parkmond finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals, while junior guard Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) tallied 11 points and recorded three steals. Senior guard Marissa Munoz-Ruiz (Fairfield, Calif./Justin-Siena) chipped in with nine points, five assists and five steals.

The Lyons held a 40-36 advantage at the break as Brickley and Shoemaker combined for 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Smith erased an early 11-point deficit (15-4) with 16:45 remaining in the opening stanza in large part to 17 points from Drummond and a team field goal percentage of .483 (14-for-29).

Wheaton withstood the Pioneers comeback effort until the 8:43 mark of the second half. Parkmond finally evened the score for Smith with a successful and-one play to make it a 50-50 score. After both teams exchanged misses, Parkmond put home a tough layup with 7:44 remaining to claim a 52-50 lead.

Brickley and Shoemaker answered for the Lyons with two points each to bring the game level once again, this time at 56-56, but Parkmond delivered another go-ahead basket at the 4:05 mark and the Pioneers held on for the victory.

Smith shot 44.8-percent (26-for-58) from the field, held a 22-13 margin in points off turnovers and a 38-18 differential in points in the paint. Wheaton posted a 16-6 gap in second chance points, won the rebounding matchup 41-33 and logged a .339 field goal percentage. Both teams combined for 46 turnovers and 26 steals. The Lyons also assisted on 17 of their 19 made field goals.

Wheaton (14-4, 9-4 NEWMAC) visits Emerson College for a NEWMAC contest on Wednesday, January 29 at 7:30 p.m. Smith (8-9, 8-5 NEWMAC) travels to Williams College on Monday for a non-league game at 7:30 p.m.

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