Basketball Tops WNEC, 58-47

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Jan. 5, 2008) - Sophomore forward Jess Olson (Gilbert, Ariz./Highland) amassed game-highs of 20 points and 16 rebounds to boost the Mount Holyoke College women's basketball team to a 58-47 victory over non-conference foe Western New England College this afternoon at the Alumni Healthful Living Center. The Lyons snapped a five-game slide behind Olson's seventh double-double of the season and 13th of her career. Mount Holyoke bumped its overall record to 2-8, while the Golden Bears dropped to 4-5.

Mount Holyoke received solid production from senior forward Marisa Barone (Ludlow, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy), who netted 14 points. Junior guard Katie Austen (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) totaled nine points and eight boards, while sophomore guard Erin Cain (Quincy, Mass./Fontbonne Academy) added a game-best seven assists. First year guard Amber Sinicrope (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) rounded things out with eight points behind a pair of three-pointers. The Lyons drained five shots from beyond the arc in the contest. They shot 44.2% (19-43) from the field and 71.4% (15-21) from the free-throw stripe.

Senior guard Jen Dabrowski (Plainville, Conn./Plainville), who entered the contest with a scoring average of 24.1 points per game, was limited to just ten points. She was Western New England's leading scorer. First year forward Kelly McCormick (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) tallied nine points and eight rebounds off the bench, while senior Tiffany DeRosa (Hamden, Conn./Hamden) posted nine points and four assists for the Golden Bears.

Western New England jumped out to a 17-9 advantage midway through the opening frame, but the Mount Holyoke finished the half on a 16-2 run to take a 25-19 edge into the locker room.

A layup by Barone at the 15:05 mark of the second stanza gave the Lyons their largest cushion of the game (35-23).

Dabrowski knocked down a jumper to slice the deficit to four points (50-46) with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. From there, Mount Holyoke scored seven straight points over a span of 1:23 to seal things.

Mount Holyoke (2-8, 0-0 NEWMAC) will kick off its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) slate at home versus Wheaton College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Game Statistics