NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team featured a balanced scoring effort in a 68-46 victory over visiting Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons win their fourth straight game to improve to 5-1 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 0-3.

Wheaton held Johnson & Wales to just 38.8% (19-49) shooting and forced the visitors into 25 turnovers. The Lyons shot 42.4% (28-66) for the game, including 53.3% (8-15) in the third quarter and led from start to finish.

Sophomore guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) was one of four players in double-digit scoring figures for Wheaton with 12 points to go with six assists and a rebound and registered her fourth straight game with four or more steals. First year guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) dropped in 12 points and added three rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. First year forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored 10 points on 5-8 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out an assist, while sophomore guard Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) contributed with 10 points, two rebounds and four assists as one of four Lyons with four or more assists in the game.

Junior center Peyton Oliver (Ramsey, N.J.) led the Wildcats with 12 points and added two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a game-high three blocks, while junior guard Naheema Walker (Staten Island, N.Y.) was a tidy 3-4 from the field to score eight points in addition to four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Junior guard Sarah Wisniewski (Naugatuck, Conn.) chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Wheaton scored the first nine points of the game, including four from Walters, through the first three minutes of the game. Johnson & Wales put together a 7-2 burst, led by five points from Oliver, to climb to within 11-7 with 4:11 left in the opening quarter. The Lyons closed out the quarter with a 9-1 blitz and never led by fewer than seven points for the rest of the game as they took a 20-8 advantage into the second quarter. First year forward Mikayla Caruso (Newton, N.J.) hit a jumper for the visitors to cut the deficit to 22-14 with 6:43 remaining in the second period, before Wheaton reeled off seven unanswered points, including five from Minos, to take a 29-14 cushion with 4:11 showing on the second quarter clock. 

JWU battled back to stay within eight following a 7-1 string that saw Walker net four points and pull the Wildcats to within 30-22 with 64 seconds to go before the end of the half. First year forward Nasha Arnold (North Reading, Mass.) converted a layup with five ticks to go to give the Lyons a 32-22 halftime lead. 

Caruso made another layup at 8:16 of the third quarter to get Johnson & Wales as close as it would get for the remainder of the night at 36-29, but Wheaton ripped off seven straight points, led by four from Walters, to increase its advantage to 43-29 at 6:52 of the period. The Lyons maintained their margin throughout the quarter and took a 50-36 lead into the final stanza. 

Junior guard Autumn Ford (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a jumper just outside the paint make it 58-43 for JWU, before Wheaton put together one final run, outscoring its guests, 10-1, to take its largest lead of the game at 68-44. 

The Lyons return to action on Tuesday, November 29 when they continue a five-game homestand with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off with Curry College, while the Wildcats host University of Maine-Fort Kent on November 30 at 7:00 p.m.