Lyons fight off Bears, 67-65 in Williams Winter Classic consolation final, Hickey named to all-tournament team

January 3, 2007

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 12-point advantage midway through the second half against Bridgewater State College Wednesday afternoon, and the Lyons held off the Bears, 67-65 in the Williams College Winter Classic consolation final at Chandler Athletic Center.

Wheaton improves to 5-5 on the season, as sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) was named to the all-tournament team following today's 14-point performance. Junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) also notched 14 points for the Lyons. Bridgewater State dipped below the .500 mark at 5-6 with the loss.

Wheaton appeared to have the game in hand after Hickey knocked down a jumper to give the Lyons a 53-41 advantage at 9:48 of the second half. The Blue and White also held a 10-point lead with under five minutes left and an eight-point edge at 2:12, but the Bears rallied to nearly force overtime before their last-second jumper missed the mark. Wheaton was held scoreless during the final 2:11, committing three turnovers while missing a jumper at 1:44 and the front end of a one-and-one with six ticks to go.

The opening half of play was nip and tuck, as the two teams battled through eight ties and three lead changes. Bear junior Colleen Feeney (Providence, RI/LaSalle Academy), who led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting off the bench, tallied 14 of Bridgewater State's final 22 points of the first half for a 35-32 Bear advantage at the break.

To open the second stanza, senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) converted a three-point play for the game's ninth tie, Hickey knocked down a jumper, and senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) capped Wheaton's 7-0 run with a jump shot at 18:08. Clinging to a 45-41 lead with over 14 minutes left, the Lyons scored eight unanswered points from four different players to secure a 12-point cushion.

Wheaton controlled the glass with a 38-24 rebounding advantage, including pulling down 12 boards on the offensive end. Holding the Bears to just three offensive rebounds, the Lyons made 57.1 percent of their shots in the second half and finished the game at a 48.3 percent clip. Aitchison, who hit 7-of-13 shots, had a game-high-tying seven rebounds, while Hickey went 7-of-11 with five caroms. McCormack tallied 12 points and four assists for Wheaton, freshman Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) registered eight points and six rebounds, and Sorbara handed out a game-best seven assists.

Aside from Feeney's 24 points and seven rebounds, Bear juniors Justine Farroba (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) and Melissa Murphy (Rockland, MA/Rockland), and senior Catie Furtado (Taunton, MA/Taunton) turned in 11, 10 and nine points, respectively.

The Lyons return home Saturday afternoon to open New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play against Clark University at 2:00 p.m.

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