NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) netted 21 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team over visiting Regis College (Mass.), 87-77, in overtime this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 3-1 on the season for their best start since the 2015-16 campaign, while the Pride slip to 0-3.

Wheaton showed its depth, outscoring Regis, 29-2, in bench points and took advantage of a fast-paced style of play to put together a 28-12 advantage in fast break points.

Fernandes was 10-18 from the floor and matched her career high with seven assists to go with four steals and a blocked shot for the Lyons. First year guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) recorded her third straight double-digit rebounding effort and second double-double just four games into her collegiate career with 14 points and 10 rebounds in addition to three assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore guard Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) came off the bench to net 14 points, grab five rebounds, hand out five assists and come up with a steal and sophomore guard Riley Sprague (Jamestown, R.I.) finished with 11 points, including seven in overtime, to go with five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot. 

Senior guard Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) led all scorers with 36 points to finish just one point shy of tying the Regis school record. She played all 45 minutes and was 14-27 from the floor, including 3-6 from three-point range and was 4-5 from the free throw line. She also added a career-high 16 rebounds, four steals and an assist for the Pride. Junior guard Courtney Doherty (Willimantic, Conn.) netted 16 points, pulled down four rebounds, handed out three assists and came up with three steals, while graduate student forward Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points, eight boards and four assists.

Regis faced a 72-67 deficit with 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, before Gonalez scored six points down the stretch, including a layup with one second left in the quarter to pull the visitors even at 73-73 and send the game into overtime.

Fernandes wasted no time to set the tone for Wheaton with a steal just 12 seconds into the game that resulted in a free throw to give the Lyons the lead for good at 74-73 with 4:45 showing in the extra period. First year forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) converted a putback and Fernandes made a layup to give the home team a 78-73 margin with 3:39 to play. 

Gonzalez later drilled a three-pointer to pull the Pride to within 80-77 with 1:43 remaining in the game, but it was as close as Regis would get as Wheaton closed out the game with seven straight points from Sprague at the free throw line.

The Pride scored the first nine points of the game to take a 9-0 first quarter lead within the first two minutes of the contest. The Lyons refrained from hitting the panic button and put together a 16-6 stretch, capped by a pair of field goals from junior forward Emma Kiernan (Wayland, Mass.), to give Wheaton a 16-15 edge with 3:06 showing on the first quarter clock. Regis closed out the period, scoring five of the final six points to take a 20-17 margin at the end of the quarter. 

The Lyons went on an 8-1 run to open the second quarter and open up a 25-21 lead with 6:13 to go in the period. First year guard Madeline Duwe (Greenville, N.C.) later knocked down a three-pointer to give Wheaton its largest lead of the first half at 30-25 with 5:01 to play in the quarter. The Pride responded with an 11-3 stretch, including six points from Gonzalez, to take a 36-33 lead with 36 ticks left on the clock. Regis took a 38-36 margin into the break. 

Gonzalez gave the Pride a five-point cushion with a fastbreak layup that resulted in a 43-38 lead with 7:26 remaining in the quarter. The Lyons battled back with an 11-4 burst, led by seven points from Minos and a three-pointer to give Wheaton a 49-47 margin at 4:23 of the quarter. The teams traded the lead before Sprague canned a trifecta at the buzzer to give the home team a 56-54 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Gonzalez stuck a three-pointer just 21 seconds into the quarter to give Regis a 57-56 edge, but it was its last lead of the night. The Lyons went on a 9-2 run, fueled by five points from Walters, to give them a 65-59 lead with 6:28 left in the final quarter of regulation. Wheaton led for the remainder of the quarter until Gonzalez tied it in the final second to send the contest into overtime.

The Lyons return to the court on Saturday, November 19 when they travel to Plymouth, N.H. to take on Plymouth State University at 1:00 p.m., while the Pride heads to Waterville, Maine to take on University of New England on the same day at the same time.