Sports

Women's Basketball Upends Mount Holyoke College On Senior Day [VIDEO]

Barbera scores 13 points in final game.

The Wheaton College women's basketball team posted a 64-52 victory over Mount Holyoke College on Saturday afternoon in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) matchup at Emerson Gymnasium on "Senior Day."

Prior to tip-off, seniors Gabby Barbera (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood), Jana Jagodzinski (Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) and Hallie Vitagliano (Newton, Mass./Newton North) were all honored for their contributions towards the women's basketball program.

Wheaton sophomore forward Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline)led the Lyons offensively with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Barbera capped her career with 13 points and three rebounds. Freshman forwardKiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) had ten points and five rebounds while sophomore guard Laura Pierce(Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) added ten points and four assists.

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For Mount Holyoke, senior guard Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, Mass./Proctor Academy) tallied a game-high 21 points, five rebounds and four steals. Sophomore forward Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) collected 13 points and four caroms. Classmate Kate Karraker (Morgantown, W.V./The Taft School) notched 11 points, two assists and one rebound.

Wheaton shot 40.7-percent (22-for-54) from the field, 36.4-percent (8-for-22) from beyond the arc and 80.0-percent (12-for-15) at the free throw line. Mount Holyoke connected on 38.9-percent (21-for-54) of its shots, 25.0-percent (4-for-16) from long distance and 66.7-percent (6-for-9) at the line. Wheaton won the rebounding margin, 38-30, and outscored the visitors 27-6 in bench points. Mount Holyoke held a 30-22 advantage in points in the paint and a 9-0 differential in fast break points.

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Ahead 48-46 with 8:14 remaining in the contest, Wheaton used a 16-6 run to close out its season with a win and snap a four-game losing streak in the process. Barbera jumpstarted the scoring outburst with a three-pointer from the left corner at 7:52 and followed with a pair of made free throws at the 5:30 mark.

Junior guard Melissa McLaughlin (Spindale, N.C./R-S Central)canned a three-pointer with 4:33 on clock while Brickley scored Wheaton's next four points to make it a 60-51 advantage with 1:32 remaining. Barbera and Brickley sealed the victory at the free throw line going a combined 4-for-4 over the last minute and two-seconds of play.

Mount Holyoke worked its way back into the game after trailing 32-23 at halftime. The visitors outscored Wheaton 23-16 over an 11:46 span in the second half to come within two points. Karraker led all scorers during the run with eight points. Pascual contributed seven points, Legare had six points and sophomore forward Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla./Amherst Regional) added a layup at 11:42.

Brickley fueled Wheaton in the opening half with 12 points and six rebounds. Pierce and Shoemaker also chipped in with six points apiece in the stanza. The hosts broke an 8-8 tie with 14:48 on the scoreboard in the first half and never trailed for the remainder of the contest. Wheaton led by as many as 13 points with 49-seconds left to play in the game.

Wheaton concludes its season at 9-16 overall and 6-12 in NEWMAC action. Mount Holyoke finishes up its 2012-13 season with a 5-18 record overall and 3-15 mark in the conference.


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