NORTON, Mass. – Junior forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) netted a game-high 18 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team over visiting Clark University (Mass.), 61-52, in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 6-12 overall and 2-2 in league play, while the Cougars fall to 9-9 and 1-3.
Wheaton used a big third quarter to propel it to victory, out-scoring its guests, 21-8, to give the Lyons a lead they would not relinquish. Wheaton shot just 29.2% (19-65) from the floor for the game, including 3-25 (12.0%) from three-point range, but Clark was not immune to a cold shooting effort either, making just 28.1% (18-64) of its tries and shot a paltry 1-19 (5.3%) from long range. Both teams combined for 41 turnovers, including 22 by the Cougars. Wheaton owned a 51-44 rebounding margin, translating to a 14-4 advantage in second chance points.
Keyter was 7-11 from the floor for the Lyons and added six rebounds, while junior guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) scored 13 points, pulled down eight boards, came up with four steals and handed out a game-high five assists. Junior guard Mary McClintock (Essex Junction, Vt.) contributed with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal and senior forward MIreille Tona (Portland, Maine) rejected six shots for the fourth-highest single-game mark in school history and the most since Kiley Shoemaker '16 recorded six blocks on February 24, 2016 vs. United States Coast Guard Academy. It was Tona's fourth outing with five or more blocks this season and she now has 35 for the 10th-most in a season in school annals. In addition she scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out an assist and made a steal in 21 minutes off the bench.
First year guard Cyriah Coleman (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished a rebound shy of a double-double for Clark with nine rebounds and 13 points to go with two steals and an assist. Sophomore guard Catherine Antwi (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal and graduate student forward Alaina Schatzabel (Kennebunk, Maine) contributed with nine points, seven caroms, a pair of blocks and a steal.
McClintock made one of two free throws with 2:06 to play in the game, giving Wheaton a 53-45 advantage. The Cougars ripped off seven straight points – all from Antwi – to pull the visitors to within a point at 53-52 with 1:19 showing on the fourth quarter clock.
Keyter drilled a three-ball on the next possession to ignite an 8-0 run to close out the game and give the Lyons a 61-52 victory.
Clark opened the contest with an 11-4 lead with 5:39 remaining in the opening quarter, led by four points each from Coleman and Schatzabel. Antwi later converted a fastbreak layup to maintain the Cougars' advantage at 15-8 with 3:16 to play in the quarter. Keyter scored the final five points of the quarter to cut the deficit to 15-13 at the end of the period for Wheaton.
The Lyons opened the second quarter with an 8-2 burst with Walters providing all the offense to give Wheaton a 21-17 lead with 6:16 to go in the quarter. Coleman countered Walters with five points of her own to reclaim the edge for Clark at 22-21 with 4:43 left in the opening half. The Lyons punched back with six of the next eight points to take a 27-24 margin at the 2:42 mark of the second quarter. The Cougars closed out the quarter with the final four points to take a 28-27 edge for the fifth lead change of the period before the intermission.
Sophomore guard Emma Drefs (Ridgecrest, Calif.) converted a put-back layup to maintain a one-point margin for Clark at 30-29 with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter. The one-point edge proved to be the final lead of the night for the Cougars. Wheaton took control of the contest with a 19-6 stretch for the final nine-plus minutes of the quarter, fueled by seven points from Tona, to give the home team a healthy 48-36 cushion after three quarters of play.
Clark clawed its way back into the game with seven of the first nine points of the fourth quarter, including five from sophomore guard Kailey Rios (Hesperia, Calif.), to pull within 50-45 with 3:39 to go in the game.
The Lyons return to the hardwood on Saturday, February 1 when they host NEWMAC rival Springfield College at 5:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, while the Cougars head to Boston, Mass. to take on league foe Emerson College on the same day at 1:00 p.m.
