NORTON, Mass. — Junior forward Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, N.H.) netted a game-high 16 points, including the final field goal of the night to give the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team a 42-40 victory over visiting Mount Holyoke College this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference action at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 5-13 overall and 1-3 in NEWMAC play, while the MHC Lyons fall to 4-14 and 0-4.
Both teams struggled from the floor with Wheaton shooting 23.2% (13-56) overall, including 3-15 (20%) from three-point range. Mount Holyoke made just 1-13 (7.7%) from long range as part of a 23.5% (12-51) shooting effort. The Lyons held a 43-42 rebounding edge and both teams committed 20 turnovers.
Colbert was 5-10 from the floor and added six boards and a steal for Wheaton, while senior forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) finished a point short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds to go with a block and a game-high six assists. First year forward Katelyn Cadmus (Pawacatuck, Conn.) contributed with eight points on 3-4 from the field in addition to three rebounds and a blocked shot.
Senior guard Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) led MHC with 11 points and added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Senior forward Taryn White (Alexandria, Va.) netted 10 points on 5-10 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists and rejected a shot. Sophomore guard Ania McMichael (Glastonbury, Conn.) chipped in with seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Colbert converted a pair of free throws to give the Lyons a 36-31 margin with 9:25 to go in the fourth quarter. Mount Holyoke put together a 7-2 run, while holding Wheaton scoreless for a stretch of 5:44, to pull even at 38-38 with 92 seconds left in the game. Colbert sank a pair of free throws to snap the scoreless drought and give the home Lyons a 40-38 lead with 1:20 remaining in the contest. McMichael matched the score with a jumper on a fast break to level the game at 40-40 with 29 ticks left in the game. Wheaton called timeout and had the ball with the shot clock off for the last possession. Colbert lifted the Lyons to victory with a layup with just two seconds showing on the fourth quarter clock.
MHC scored the first four points of the opening quarter to take a 4-0 lead at the 6:50 mark. Wheaton countered with five unanswered points – all from Colbert – to take a 5-4 edge with 5:18 left to go in the period. Mount Holyoke came back with an 8-4 stretch, capped by a put-back layup from junior forward Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.), to give the visitors a 12-9 lead with 2:04 remaining in the quarter. The Lyons closed out the period with a 6-2 burst, including a free throw from Keyter to give the home team a 15-14 edge at the end of the quarter.
Wheaton put together a dominant 15-2 stretch to open the second quarter, fueled by trifectas from Colbert, first year guard Sydney MacCalla (Middletown, N.Y.) and Cadmus, to take its largest lead of the night at 30-16 with 4:07 showing in the second quarter. MHC battled back with six straight points from Twomey to close out the half and cut the deficit to 30-22.
The home Lyons scored the first four points of the third quarter to increase their lead to 34-22 with 8:35 left in the period, but did not score for the remainder of the quarter, while Mount Holyoke chipped away at the deficit. MHC scored the final seven points, including four from Twomey, to cut the difference to 34-29 heading into the final quarter of play.
Wheaton returns to the court on Saturday, January 31 when it heads to Wellesley, Mass. to take on NEWMAC rival Wellesley College at 1:00 p.m., while MHC travels to Babson Park, Mass. to play league foe Babson College on the same day at the same time.
