BOSTON -- The Mount Holyoke College basketball team hung with Emerson College for about one and a half quarters before the host Lions pulled away from the visiting Lyons for an 88-47 Saturday afternoon at Emerson.
Emerson (13-10, 4-5 NEWMAC) snapped a five-game losing streak against conference opponents after starting its league slate with a 3-0 record. The Lions pulled into a three-way tie for sixth place in the NEWMAC standings with WPI and Coast Guard.
Bri Frongillo poured in 31 points for Emerson, the highest total by an MHC opponent this season, including 11 of Emerson's 32 points in the hosts' explosive third quarter. Frongillo shot 10-16 from the field, 2-5 from three and 9-9 at the foul line.
Elise Arnold had 14 points and 14 rebounds, leading Emerson to a 57-32 advantage on the glass. Kaylin O'Meara added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Senior Taryn White (Alexandria, Va.) scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead MHC. Sophomore Helena Robinson (Gales Ferry, Conn.) pitched in seven points and seven rebounds, and junior Hannah Goen (New London, N.H.) had a season-high six assists. First-year Ashtyn DiRienzo (Fremont, N.H.) provided a spark off the bench with six points in the first half on 3-3 shooting.
Mount Holyoke got back-to-back 3-pointers from Goen and first-year Erica Yokota (Tokyo, Japan) to give MHC its only lead of the game at 6-5. Emerson quickly retook the lead, but Mount Holyoke pulled within two (14-12) late in the first quarter with a turnaround jumper by DiRienzo.
A pair of 3-pointers by Emerson's Jessie Silk early in the second quarter helped the hosts build their lead as high as 20 (36-16) in the second quarter before the visiting Lyons ended the half with six straight points on baskets by DiRienzo, White and senior Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) to cut the deficit to 36-22.
Emerson shot 12-22 (.545) from the field, 2-5 (.400) from three and 6-6 (1.000) from the foul line in a 32-point third quarter that put the game out of reach for Mount Holyoke.
The Lyons will play their final road game at Salve Regina Wednesday at 7pm.
