Lyons extend winning streak to five with 70-50 decision over Babson

January 12, 2008

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack and extended its winning streak to five thanks to a 70-50 victory over Babson College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action Saturday afternoon in Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons have now won nine in a row at home.

Wheaton raised its overall record to 9-4 and conference mark to 2-0, while the Beavers fall to 4-8 and 1-1. The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams.

Wheaton came out of the gate strong, knocking down its first seven shots to capture a 15-7 advantage just over five minutes into play. Five different Lyons scored during that stretch, with senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) and sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) contributing four points each. Babson cut its deficit to three on a lay-up by senior Caitlin Boulier (Wolcott, CT/Saint Margaret's-McTernan School) that made the score 18-15 with eight minutes left in the half.

The hosts answered with 13 straight points during 4:25 for a 31-15 lead, as Wheaton drained a trio of three-pointers in the run. The Blue and White went 6-of-7 on threes down the stretch, including three treys from junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy), and the Lyons carried a 40-23 advantage into the break. Smith led all scorers with 11 points, Aitchison had nine and sophomore Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) had five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Wheaton shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from three-point territory, with assists coming on 13 of 15 field goals.

In the second half, the Beavers eventually got as close as 16 with 13:14 remaining, but a 16-4 Wheaton spurt over 3:51 gave the hosts their largest separation at 64-36 at the 8:29 mark. The Lyons led by at least 17 the rest of the way, finishing the game shooting at a 50.0 percent clip overall and 52.9 percent from beyond the arc. Of Wheaton's 26 field goals, 23 were credited with assists. The Blue and White also held a 34-25 rebounding advantage.

Smith finished as the game's high scorer with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Aitchison had 11 points after making four of her five shots to go along with five assists. Bailey turned in an all-around solid performance with 10 points, game highs of seven assists and five steals, and six rebounds. Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) had 10 points and six rebounds, classmate Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) posted nine points, while Champney added eight markers and six boards.

Senior Caitlin Fenn (Niantic, CT/Norwich Free Academy) was the lone Babson player in double figures with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Senior Nicole McManus (Baldwinsville, NY/John C. Birdlebough) and junior Jillian Brooks (Ashland, MA/Ashland) chipped in with eight points each, as the Beavers shot 40.4 percent from the field, 14.3 percent from three and 41.2 percent at the free throw line.

The Lyons continue their four-game homestand on Wednesday night against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 7:00 p.m. The teams last met in March for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament championship game in Worcester, won by WPI.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/12/08.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News Headlines

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Upcoming Schedule

21-Nov Fri SUNY New Paltz A 6:00pm
(Live Stats)
22-Nov Sat SUNY New Paltz Tip-Off N TBA
(Live Stats)
25-Nov Tue RPI (NY) H 6:00pm (Live Stats)