NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team was tied with Emerson College at halftime, but a late scoring charge from the Lions would see the hosts fall in Saturday's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon in Emerson Gym.

The Lyons fall to 4-13 overall on the year and slip to 0-3 in the NEWMAC. Emerson improves to 11-5 overall and stays unbeaten in the conference at 2-0.

Emerson senior Bri Frongillo (Hopedale, Mass.) led the floor with a dominant 39 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Junior Claire English (Winchester, Mass.) dominated the glass with a game-high 14 rebounds, adding 13 points and three steals. Fellow junior Kendra Dodd (Tampa, Fla.) scored 13 points as well, scoring three times from beyond the arc. Emerson shot 44.8% (26-58) on the day, demonstrating their scoring acumen.

Junior Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, NH) led Wheaton in scoring with 28 points for a new career high, also grabbing four rebounds and two steals. Colbert would be the only Lyon to score double-digit points, but senior Kennis Jasperson (Sacramento, Calif.) would come closest with nine points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Senior Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) had eight points on the afternoon with a team-leading eight rebounds. The Lyons would shoot 36.5% (23-63) as they ran into a tough Emerson defense. 

The visiting Lions opened up an early 7-2 lead in the first two minutes as Dodd nailed down a three-pointer. The hosting Lyons were quickly awakened by the early flurry, and responded with a three-pointer from Colbert. Wheaton opened up a lead after Jasperson knocked down a treble, and the Lyons would take a 13-8 lead after first year Sydney MacCalla (Middletown, N.Y.) hit a three, fresh off of the bench. Macalla set a new career-high with a 50% (2-4) performance from beyond the arc, making multiple threes for the first time in her career. Colbert scored another layup with only 16 seconds on the clock, but Frongillo knocked down the buzzer beater to make it a 15-13 lead for Wheaton after the first frame. 

Frongillo carried the momentum from the late score into the second quarter, scoring eight points in the opening four minutes of the frame. Colbert would combine with MacCalla for seven points, while junior Mary Claire McClintock (Essex Junction, Vt.) and first year Darlene Tashobya (Kampala, Uganda) both added field goals of their own to make it 26-20 for Wheaton. Frongillo was unstoppable in the latter half of the quarter, scoring 14 points by herself to the Lyons' 10, giving the visitors a narrow 36-35 lead with a minute before halftime. Keyter scored from the stripe before the break to tie the game, and both sides entered the locker rooms knotted up at 36-36.

The third quarter would stay even, as each team scored 14 points in the frame to stay tied at 50-50. Frongillo would again lead her side in scoring with six points, while Tashobya was strong in the paint as she scored five points. Emerson's defense had been constricting the Wheaton offense at an increasing rate throughout the game, and the third quarter saw the Lions hold their opponent to just 33% (4-12) shooting in the frame.

The game came down to the fourth quarter, where both sides opened the frame by trading baskets up to 54-54. Colbert put away consecutive layups to put her team ahead 58-55, but would fail to hold on defensively. Emerson sophomore Lindsay Gould (Westlake Village, Calif.) would knock down a three-pointer to give her side the lead once more, but the Lyons still had plenty of fight left in them. Jasperson drilled another three to flip the lead once again, giving her side the advantage at 62-60. The narrow margin was enough for the visitors to work with as they locked down their defensive end, allowing only five points from a Keyter layup and a Colbert triple. Frongillo would work her game, driving into the paint and drawing fouls, preventing the Lyons from gaining any ground on the scoreboard. Frongillo would make six free throws in the final minute of play, sealing the game for her side and condemning Wheaton to another loss.

Wheaton will stay in conference and at home as they get ready to host Mount Holyoke on Wednesday at 6:00 pm in Emerson Gym, while the Lions will return to Boston as they get ready for a home conference contest with M.I.T. on Wednesday at 7:00 pm.