WORCESTER, Mass. -- Senior guard Alexis Romer (Delray Beach, Fla.) poured in a career-high 23 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team to a 65-51 win over host Clark University this evening in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference tilt at Kneller Athletic Center in Worcester, Mass. The win was the first in eight games for the Lyons as they improve to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in league play, while the Cougars fall to 6-11 and 0-5.

Wheaton shot 46.2% (24-52) and canned a season-high 11 three-pointers in 25 attempts for a 44% clip, while holding Clark to just 30.9% (17-55) from the field, including 3-17 (17.6%) from three-point range. 

Romer solved the Clark zone with a personal-best five three-pointers in seven tries and finished the night going 8-12 from the floor for the Lyons. She added two rebounds, an assist and a steal and made both of her free throws. First year guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) scored 13 points on 6-11 shooting in addition to grabbing six rebounds, handing out two assists and coming up with a steal. First year guard Sydney Ropes (Duxbury, Mass.) came off the bench to score nine points and added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Senior guard Emily Sifferlen (North Andover, Mass.) led the Cougars with 20 points on 7-13 from the field to go with three rebounds and a game-high six steals and graduate student forward Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass.) posted her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. 

Clark scored the first point of the game, but Wheaton never trailed after that, going on a 13-2 run to open the contest, including a pair of three-pointers from Romer in a trend that would repeat itself again and again throughout the night. The Cougars scored six straight points to close to within 13-8 with 1:53 to play in the quarter, but the Lyons took a 15-8 margin into the second quarter of play and Clark would get no closer than within three possessions for remainder of the game.

Wheaton maintained a 20-13 lead with 6:04 showing on the second quarter clock, before putting together a 9-2 stretch, led by five points from Romer, to increase the visitors' lead to 29-15 with 2:32 remaining in the opening half. The Lyons took a 29-18 margin into the break.

A jumper from Fernandes gave Wheaton a 41-26 cushion with 4:33 to play in the third quarter. Clark closed out the period with an 11-5 burst, led by six points from Sifferlen, to close the gap to 46-37 heading into the fourth quarter. Favaloro converted a pair of free throws for the first points of the final quarter to pull the home team to within 46-39 with 7:59 showing on the fourth quarter clock, but it was as close as the Cougars would get for the rest of the contest. Clark stayed within 55-46 at the 2:45 mark, but the Lyons reeled off nine unanswered points, including five from Romer, to take a 64-46 advantage for their largest lead of the night with 49 ticks left on the clock.

Wheaton returns to play on Wednesday, February 2 when it hosts NEWMAC foe Smith College at 6:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, while the Cougars head to Springfield, Mass. on the same night for a 5:30 tip-off with Springfield College in conference action.