NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team was defeated by Union College, 67-57, in the Consolation Game of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament, hosted by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at the Tripp Athletic Center in North Dartmouth, Mass.

The Lyons dip to 0-2 on the season, while the Garnet Chargers improve to 1-1.

Wheaton was held to a 36.4% (24-66) shooting mark, including 22.2% (4-18) from three-point range, while Union shot 38.9% (21-54) from the floor. The Garnet Chargers made a living at the free throw line, converting 19 of 23 attempts for a gaudy 82.6 rate. Union also owned a 31-24 rebounding advantage, but turned the ball over 24 times.

The Lyons were led by senior guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) with a game-high 17 points to go with two steals, a rebound and an assist, while classmate Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) netted 15 points on 7-11 from the field and added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Junior guard Kennis Jasperson (Sacramento, Calif.) chipped in with eight points, two steals, a rebound and an assist and senior forward Mireille Tona (Portland, Maine) contributed with a career-high seven rebounds and matched her best with five blocks to go with five points.

Junior guard Grace Ceseretti (Barrington, R.I.) matched Fernandes with 17 points and was 3-5 from three-point range to go with six rebounds and a steal for the Garnet Chargers. Senior forward Jenna Forman (Natick, Mass.) scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting, pulled down six rebounds, blocked a pair of shots and came up with two steals, while junior guard Grace Ardito (Wilmington, Mass.) dropped in 11 points in addition to a rebound and a steal.

Ceseretti canned a three-pointer to give Union a 40-34 lead with 5:29 left in the third quarter and later owned a 44-40 margin at the 2:44 mark of the quarter. Wheaton scored the next five points, capped by a free throw from Tona, to give the Lyons a 45-44 lead before the end of the third quarter. 

The Garnet Chargers took the lead for good after ripping off seven straight points to open the fourth quarter with a 51-45 cushion after a jumper from Forman with 8:22 left in the quarter. Wheaton responded with five unanswered points over the next minute, including a lay-up from junior forward Nasha Arnold (North Reading, Mass.), to pull the Lyons within 51-50. It was as close as they would get for the rest of the way. Union closed out the game on a 16-5 run, paced by six points from Ceseretti, to come away with a 10-point win.

The Garnet Chargers opened the game with a 7-3 lead, before Minos took over for Wheaton and scored the next seven points to give the Lyons a 10-7 margin with 3:55 showing on the first quarter clock. Ceseretti converted a lay-up to cap a 9-2 burst and give Union a 16-12 lead with 83 seconds left in the quarter. The Garnet Chargers took an 18-14 lead into the second quarter.

Union maintained a 20-16 lead, before Fernandes scored six unanswered points to put Wheaton ahead at 22-20 with 5:05 to go in the quarter. The Lyons clung to a 25-23 lead with 3:24 to play in the period, but the Garnet Chargers seized the momentum with 10 straight points, punctuated by a three-pointer from Ardito to give them a 33-25 advantage with 1:40 remaining in the first half. Jasperson canned a trifecta before the end of the quarter to cut the deficit to 33-28 for Wheaton.

Arnold capped a 6-2 run to open the third quarter for the Lyons to pull them within 35-34 with 7:23 left in the quarter. 

Wheaton returns to the court on Thursday, November 14 when it hosts Curry College for its home opener at 7:00 p.m., while Union heads to Utica, N.Y. to take on Utica College on November 12 at 5:00 p.m.