Lyon women run win streak to six following 62-29 triumph against MIT

January 17, 2007

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team ran its winning streak to six games Wednesday night while remaining unbeaten in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), as the Lyons collected a 62-29 triumph over Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Emerson Gymnasium. The 29 points given up matches the third-lowest point total allowed in program history.

Wheaton moves to 10-5 overall and 5-0 in the conference, while the Engineers slip to 3-11 and 0-4. Collecting 10 wins through their first 15 games for the first time since the 1994-95 season, the Lyons' win streak is their longest in 10 seasons. Wheaton has also won 14 of its last 18 league home games.

After spotting MIT the game's first basket, the hosts sprinted to a 23-4 advantage with 8:31 to play in the first half and never looked back, as seven different Lyon players got into the scoring column during that stretch. The Engineers scored the next four points to make it 23-8 at 3:50, but a second three from sophomore Lauren Gosline (Peterborough, NH/ConVal Regional) pushed Wheaton's advantage to 18. The Blue and White didn't score the rest of the half, while MIT tacked on four points to trail 26-12 at the break.

In the second half, the Engineers cut their deficit to 12 on a lay-in from senior Sharon Prange (Arlington, VA/Washington-Lee), but the Lyons pulled away for good with a 19-1 run during a 5:16 span to lead 45-15 at 11:30. Six different Wheaton players figured in the scoring, highlighted by consecutive deep-range shots from sophomores Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) and Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy). The visitors got no closer than 27 the rest of the way, while the Lyons bulged their advantage to as many as 35 with 15 ticks on the clock. Wheaton finished the half shooting 57.1 percent.

Ten different Blue and White players scored in tonight's game, as the Lyons were credited with 17 assists on 23 field goals. Wheaton limited the Engineers to 20.4 percent shooting, including a 13.3 percent clip from three-point range. The Lyons also held a decisive 45-26 advantage on the boards, including pulling down 11 on the offensive end.

Junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) was Wheaton's lone double-figure scorer with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes. Smith had nine points in 11 minutes, Gosline posted a season-best eight points and career-high-tying six rebounds, and senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic), sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) and freshman Callie Schneider (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) each had seven points. First-year point guard Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) dished out a game-best five assists, while senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) had a game-high four steals.

For MIT, junior Kimberly Soo Hoo (Benicia, CA/Berkeley) led the way with a game-high 12 points, while Prange finished close to a double-double with seven points and a game-best nine boards.

The Lyons look to match the program's last seven-game win streak, which took place during the 1996-97 season, as Wheaton travels to Babson Park on Saturday to take on Babson College at 3:00 p.m. The winner will claim sole possession of first place in the NEWMAC, as the Beavers have a 4-0 league mark.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/31/07.
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