BOSTON, Mass. -- First year forward Nasha Arnold (North Reading, Mass.) posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team outscored host Emerson College, 18-3, in the fourth quarter, en-route to a 59-44 victory this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Bobbi Brown & Plofker Gym in Boston, Mass. 

The Lyons improve to 11-6 overall and 1-1 in NEWMAC play, while the Lions fall to 6-11 and 1-1. The victory for Wheaton was its first over Emerson since a 72-66 win on February 10, 2016 in Norton, Mass. and marked the eighth time this season that it has held an opponent under 50 points.

The contest featured fine defensive efforts by both squads with the Lyons owning a 33.8% (23-68) field goal mark to the Lions' 32.7% (18-55) showing, despite hitting 44.4% (4-9) from three-point range. Wheaton owned a 39-32 rebounding edge and held Emerson to just 8.3% (1-12) shooting from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Arnold posted her second double-double of the season and was 7-12 from the field to go with a steal and a blocked shot for the Lyons. Sophomore guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) netted 12 points, handed out five assists, pulled down three rebounds, came up with a steal and blocked a shot, while classmate Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with eight points, eight boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Junior guard Ella Bushee (Walpole, N.H.) led the Lions with 11 points, eight rebounds and an assist and senior forward Carla Pelino (San Jose, Calif.) scored eight points to go with 10 boards, three assists and a blocked shot.

Bushee converted a layup with 66 seconds left in the third quarter to pull Emerson even and send both teams to the final quarter with a 41-41 tie.

Wheaton ripped off 12 unanswered points and held the Lions scoreless for the first 8:32 of the fourth quarter to take a 53-41 advantage and put the game away. Emerson missed all 10 field goal attempts during the stretch, while first year forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Arnold each scored four points to pace the Lyons during their run to put the game away.

Junior guard Olivia Deslauriers (West Hartford, Conn.) scored the only points of the period for the Lions when she buried a three-pointer with 1:28 showing on the fourth quarter clock. Wheaton received three-pointers from Minos and junior forward Emma Kiernan (Wayland, Mass.) to close out the game and give the visitors a 15-point victory.

Sophomore forward Devin Hill (Edgartown, Mass.) made a layup at the 7:29 mark of the opening quarter to give Emerson a 4-3 edge. The Lyons scored eight straight points, including four from Arnold, to take an 11-4 margin with 5:54 to play in the quarter. Kiernan later knocked down a jumper to give Wheaton a 17-10 lead with 41 ticks to go in the period, before Deslauriers sank a pair of free throws to pull the Lions to within 17-12 before the end of the quarter.

Keyter made a layup with 6:20 remaining in the second quarter to give the Lyons a 23-19 margin. 

Emerson came alive with 12 unanswered points, paced by four points each from Pelino and Bushee, to take a 31-23 advantage with 1:59 to go before the end of the opening half. Wheaton closed out the half with seven straight points, including four from Fernandes, to cut the deficit to 31-30 at the break. 

The Lions scored the first six points of the third quarter to take a 37-30 cushion, but an 11-2 run capped by a pair of Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) free throws gave the Lyons a 41-39 lead with 90 seconds to play in the quarter.

Wheaton returns to action on Saturday, January 21 when it travels to Cambridge, Mass. to take on NEWMAC foe Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 2:00 p.m. while Emerson hosts Wellesley College on January 25 at 7:00 p.m. in conference play.