CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Mitchell College freshman Caycee Williams (Torrington, Conn.) recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Mariners to a 55-39 victory over Lesley University in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action tonight at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols. The win moves Mitchell to an even 7-7 on the year and 7-1 in the NECC while the Lynx fall to 1-14 overall and 1-7 in conference action.
Complementing Williams' offense was senior Kate Mullot (Gardner, Mass.) who finished just a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Sophomore Amanda Garcia (New Britain, Conn.) came off the bench to record nine points and 11 caroms while Jessica Shepherd (West Hartford, Conn.) and Diamond Thomas (Hartford, Conn.) each chipped in with four.
Leading the way for the Lync was senior Emily Fleming (Medford, Mass.) who finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and four steals while classmate Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.) dumped in seven points, a team-high nine rebounds, and four steals. Sophomore Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.) added nine points and five boards.
The Mariners dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Lynx by a 68-38 margin, including grabbing 21 offensive boards which led to 20 second chance points. The visitors also outscored Lesley in the paint by a 20-10 margin. Both teams struggled from the floor as the Mariners hit at a 31-percent rate while holding the Lynx to just a 21-percent shooting percentage.
A Caycee Williams trey gave the Mariners a 6-5 lead three minutes into the game and the visitors would not trail again. Six minutes later, Lesley sophomore guard Jackie Ewing (Hong Kong) would knock down a three to even the game at 12-12, but Mitchell would answer with a 4-0 run to keep a four-point cushion. The teams would exchange buckets in the final moments of the half as the Mariners went into the locker room with a 24-20 edge.
Mitchell would open up a 30-22 advantage just four minutes into the second stanza, but back-to-back buckets by freshman Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) and Apgar would cut the deficit back down to four. After a Mulloy layup, Fleming brought the Lynx to within three points when she drilled a trey from the left wing, 32-29.
The Mariners would then take control as they sprinted out on an 18-2 streak to take a commanding 50-31 advantage before rolling to the 55-39 victory. Mitchell used a balanced attack on the run as six different players chip in during the spurt.
Both teams will be back in NECC action on Saturday, January 18th as the Lynx will travel to Newbury College for a 12:00p tip-off while the Mariners will play host to Elms College at 1:00p.