SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- New England College shot its way to a 25-12 lead after one quarter, then held off the Mount Holyoke College basketball team the rest of the way in a 60-49 non-conference win Wednesday night in Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium.
The visiting Pilgrims (3-3) made five 3-pointers by five different players on 10 attempts in the first quarter, racing out to a 21-7 lead and finishing the quarter up 13.
Two more threes by NEC late in the second quarter fueled a 9-0 run for a game-high 19-point lead (40-21) with 1:52 left in the half.
But Mount Holyoke (1-7) made an 8-0 run of its own to finish the half. Senior Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) assisted a 3-pointer by junior Melina Pena (Miami, Fla.), then made a steal in NEC's backcourt and converted a 3-point play. Twomey then fed junior Hannah Goen (New London, N.H.) for a fast-break layup off a blocked shot by junior Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.) to close the gap to 40-29 at intermission.
Mount Holyoke twice made it a 10-point game during the third quarter, but NEC maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way. Twomey, finishing off a massive 40-minute effort, had two steals and three points in the final minute to close the Lyons back within 11 points (60-49) after an NEC lead of as many as 16 points in the quarter.
Camryn Lewis led NEC with 13 points and 14 rebounds, guiding the Pilgrims to a 42-36 edge on the boards. Jayden Estrada had 11 points and six assists, and Macy Gordon added nine points and five assists.
NEC shot 8-20 (.400) from three for the game while MHC shot 4-20 (.200) from long distance, giving the Pilgrims a 12-point edge in that category, arguably the difference in the game.
Twomey was three assists and four steals shy of a quadruple-double, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
Francisco had 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for the Lyons. Goen had five points and four assists, senior Taryn White (Alexandria, Va.) had six points and five rebounds, and junior Emma Zoubok (Somers, N.Y.) shot 2-3 from three for six points.
NEC next plays UMaine-Fort Kent on Friday at 5pm at Norwich University; Mount Holyoke will host Anna Maria College Saturday at 1pm.
