NEW LONDON, Conn. – Albertus Magnus College used an early second-half run to seize control in an 85-67 victory over Mitchell College in Saturday's women's basketball season opener at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Tyler Evans scored a game-high 28 points in her collegiate debut and also added five steals to lead the Falcons (1-0 overall). Olivia Sutherland contributed 18 points and five assists while Olivia Bolden chipped in with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kelsey Pendagast rounded out the double-digit scorers for Albertus with 11 points and grabbed a game-high 12 boards to post a double-double.
Jessica Shepherd scored 20 of her career-high 24 points in the first half to pace the Mariners (0-1 overall). Diamond Thomas and Amanda Garcia each finished with 14 points while Samantha Ryan added 11. Both Garcia and Ryan notched double-doubles with 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively.
The first half featured big runs from both teams, with Albertus taking leads and Mitchell clawing its way back into the contest. The Falcons scored the game's first eight points fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Evans. The Mariners responded with a 10-2 run to tie the game with 12:34 to go, with Shepherd contributing seven points during the spurt.
Albertus scored the next 13 points to open up its biggest lead of the half at 23-10. Five players contributed buckets during the stretch led by four points from Bolden. Later in the half, Mitchell used a 19-4 run to take its first lead at 31-29 following a pair of Garcia free throws. Shepherd hit three treys in just over two minutes to lead the charge.
The lead changed hands four times over the final three minutes of the half, but it was Mitchell that held a 37-36 lead at the break. Evans scored 12 points while Bolden netted nine to lead Albertus at intermission. Shepherd shot 7-for-8 for her 20 points while Garcia tallied eight.
The Falcons grabbed the lead back for good on the opening possession of the second half as Evans hit her third and final three of the game. She followed with a layup on the next Albertus possession, and a Sutherland steal and fastbreak layup forced Mitchell to take a timeout.
With momentum on its side, Albertus quickly built the lead to double digits and never let the margin dip below 10 over the final 15 minutes of the contest. Evans scored 16 points in the stanza before fouling out with 4:01 to play, and Sutherland went 6-for-6 from the floor to add 14 points. The Falcons also did a solid defensive job on Shepherd in the second half, holding her to only four points on four shot attempts.
The Falcons shot 63 percent in the second half and finished at 51 percent for the game. Albertus also held a 53-34 edge on the glass.
Mitchell will next host Connecticut College on Tuesday, November 18 at 6 p.m. Albertus returns to action at Drew University on Wednesday, November 19 at 7 p.m.