Basketball Rolls Past Babson, 69-42
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (February 3, 2007) - Four Mount Holyoke scorers reached double-digits, led by senior guard Angela Astuccio (Foxboro, Mass.) who drained 15 points, en route to a 69-42 victory over Babson College. The Lyons improve to 14-7 overall and 6-3 in the conference while the Beavers drop to 10-10 with a 6-3 mark in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).
The Lyons jumped out with the lead early, but the Beavers kept within striking distance for the first five minutes. At the 14:58 mark, Babson's Caitlin Boulier '08 (Wolcott, Conn.) drained a three-pointer to bring the Beavers within one point. Boulier's shot was quickly answered by a jump shot from first year Jessica Olson (Gilbert, Ariz.), which ignited a 31-7 run by Mount Holyoke in the remaining minutes of the stanza. Olson totaled eight points and eight rebounds in the first half alone to help put the Lyons up 43-16 going into the second half.
In the second frame, Mount Holyoke remained in control of the game. At the 6:57 mark, junior Linsey Poulson (Leominster, Mass.) of Babson knocked down a jumper in the paint to cut the deficit to 23, but the Beavers would get no closer. In the final minutes of the game, Angela Astuccio hit a shot to give the Lyons a 31-point margin, their largest of the contest. MHC ended a two-game skid with a 69-42 victory over the Beavers.
Astuccio recorded her second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Just behind her, Olson notched 12 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Olson also registered a team-high four assists. Other double-digit scorers for the Lyons included junior Marisa Barone (Ludlow Mass.) with 14 points and senior Joeanna Silvey (Boston, Mass.) with 10 points. As a team, the Lyons shot 39.7% from the floor and 80.0% from the charity stripe.
For the Beavers, senior forward Suzy Ward (North Attleboro, Mass.) totaled a team-high nine points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, junior Nicole McManus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) tallied eight points in a two-of-four shooting performance and a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line. The Beavers struggled from field goal range, hitting only 23.1% of their attempts.
Mount Holyoke travels to New London, Conn. to face the Coast Guard Academy Bears on Wednesday, February 7th at 5:30 p.m. The Beavers will face Wheaton College at the same time on the 7th.