Kuhn delivers for the Lyons

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Wheaton senior guard Kenzie Kuhn (Glenwood Springs, Colo./Glenwood Springs) tied a career-high in points with 19  (6-for-8 FG, 5-for-7 3PT and 2-for-2 FT) to push the second-seeded Lyons past the third-seeded Bears from Coast Guard Academy, 85-74, in the semifinals of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Springfield College.

Wheaton (20-7), who defeated Coast Guard (19-8) for the first time this season in three tries, will now advance to the NEWMAC Championship game against fourth-seeded Babson College on Sunday, March 1 at Springfield College at 1:00 p.m. Earlier today, Babson (19-8) upset first-seeded Springfield (19-7) by 64-57 score. Coast Guard now awaits a potential at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Kuhn and four other Lyons contributed double-digit points to the victory as senior forward Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) registered a team-high 20 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, to go along with five rebounds to highlight the group. Senior guard Kirsten Ferrari (Lynn, Mass./Saint Mary's) and junior forward Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively, while junior guard Rebecca Arnone (Litchfield, N.H./Campbell) aided the Blue and White with 11 points and eight rebounds. Shoemaker also pulled down a game-high nine caroms and had a game-high five blocks.

Coast Guard junior Meghan Fornaro (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) recorded a game-high 24 points, five assists and five steals to go with a team-high seven rebounds. First-year forward Gill Gerton (Lorton, Va./Bishop Dennis J. O'Connell) netted 14 points, four boards and three rebounds. Junior guard Torie Sutherland (Houston, Texas/Clear Lake) also chipped with 11 points, five rebounds and one steal.

Wheaton jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage 1:06 into the contest as Kuhn sank two straight three-pointers for the Lyons before Sutherland drove into the paint for a layup to put Coast Guard on the board (6-2) at the 17:25 mark.

The Blue and White then went on a 17-7 run to extend their lead to 23-9 midway through the opening stanza, which was highlighted by two layups and a pair of free throws from Shoemaker and three consecutive layups via Brickley.

Coast Guard posted five-straight points on a layup from senior guard Alexi Howland (Latham, N.Y./Central Catholic) and a trey via Farnaro to cut the deficit to as low as 13 points (32-19) with 3:46 remaining in the first half. Wheaton and Coast Guard traded baskets to close out the opening 20 minutes of action resulting in a 43-28 advantage for the Lyons heading into the break.

In the second half, the Blue and White opened up the ball game to their largest lead of the contest 65-43 (22 points) after Kuhn buried a three-pointer with 9:59 to play. Coast Guard amped up the pressure offensively with an 18-5 spurt to make the score 70-61 with 4:40 left on the clock. The run was sparked by six points from Fornaro and five points via senior forward Dani Knox (Centreville, Va./Westfield).

Wheaton was able to withstand and eventually break apart the run with a layup from Brickley and a free throw from Arnone to push its gap back to 12 points (73-61) with under three minutes to play. The Blue and White then capitalized on their free throws as the Lyons went a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe over the final 1:09 of the game to hang on for an eventual 85-74 victory and seal its place in the NEWMAC Championship game for the eighth time in program history.

In two games so far in the NEWMAC Tournament, the Blue and White have not trailed in either win versus Coast Guard or Emerson. The Lyons last deficit came against Babson on February 21 in their regular season finale on the road at the 15:08 mark of the second half in a 77-72 win over the Beavers.

Wheaton shot 50.0-percent (26-for-52) from the field, 36.0-percent (9-for-25) from long range and 92.3-percent (24-for-26) from the free throw line. The Lyons 92.3 free throw percentage in today's win currently ranks tied for ninth all-time in program history. Coast Guard shot 44.9-percent (31-for-69) from the floor, 31.6-percent (6-for-19) from behind the arc and 75.0-percent from the charity stripe.

The Blue and White held a slim 33-32 margin in rebounds marking the first time Wheaton has out-rebounded the Bears this season. Coast Guard maintained a 36-30 differential in points scored in the paint and a 26-14 advantage in points from the bench.

For the latest on Wheaton College Athletics, follow the Lyons via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.