WENHAM, Mass. – Sophomore guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) tied the school-record for points in a game with 37 and steals with 10 to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team to a comeback 74-71 overtime victory over Eastern Nazarene College this afternoon in the Gordon Classic at the Bennett Center in Wenham, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 2-1 on the season, while the Lions fall to 0-2.

Fernandes matched the school scoring standard set by Abbie Brickley vs. Pine Manor College on February 4, 2015 and tied the program's record for thefts, set by Kiley Shoemaker vs. Babson College on November 16, 2013. She also pulled even with Brickley atop of the single-season list with 15 field goals made in the game.

Wheaton controlled the boards with a 51-39 rebounding advantage, including 19 on the offensive glass to contribute to a 17-3 margin in second-chance points.

Fernandes was 15-27 from the floor, including 2-4 from three-point range and added seven rebounds, 10 steals and two blocked shots for the Lyons. First year forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) contributed with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Junior guard Delaney Walker (Nampa, Idaho) led Eastern Nazarene with 18 points and added five assists, five steals and a rebound, while senior guard Alondra Jiminez (Santa Barbara, Calif.) scored 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished for seven assists and came away with five steals. Sophomore forward Te'yalla Simpson (Fairfield, Texas) posted a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds to go with three assists and a steal.

The Lions owned a 53-38 lead with 3:03 to play in the third quarter before Wheaton roared back with a 24-5 run to span the end of the remainder of the third quarter and the first seven and a half minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Lyons a 62-58 lead with 2:28 left in the final quarter. Fernandes fueled the come-back with 16 points during the stretch. 

Eastern Nazarene countered with six straight points, including four from Walker, to take a 64-62 lead with 80 seconds left in the fourth quarter. First year guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) made a layup to knot the game at 64-64 for Wheaton with 1:02 showing on the clock. Neither team was able to score in the final minute to ticket the game for overtime.

Jiminez hit a jumper to give the Lions a 66-64 lead, but sophomore guard Riley Sprague (Jamestown, R.I.) drilled a three-pointer to give the Lyons the lead for good at 67-66. Senior guard Michala O'Donoghue (San Bruno, Calif.) later pulled Eastern Nazarene even at 68-68, but Wheaton closed out the contest with a 6-3 stretch to come away with the win.

Fernandes began the game with a three-pointer just 14 seconds into the afternoon to give Wheaton a 3-0 lead, but the Lions went on a blistering 19-2 blitz, including 14 unanswered points, to take a 21-5 advantage with 3:21 to play in the opening quarter. Jiminez netted six points during the run. Fernandes scored the last four points of the quarter to pull the Lyons to within 27-15.

Eastern Nazarene maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second quarter, leading by as many as 14 points, and took a 39-27 cushion into the intermission.

Keyter knocked down a jump shot at the 7:20 mark of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 42-31 for Wheaton, but a 6-2 spurt, capped by a Jiminez layup, gave the Lions a 48-33 lead with 5:28 to go in the quarter.

The Lyons return to the court on Wednesday, November 16 when they host Regis College (Mass.) at 7:00 p.m., while Eastern Nazarene hosts Framingham State University on the same night at 5:30 p.m.