CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Becker College freshman Elizabeth McNiff (Leominster, Mass.) came off the bench and knocked down a career-high seven treys on her way to a new career mark with 21 points to lead the Hawks to a 79-56 victory over Lesley University tonight in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's basketball action. Becker improves to 10-15 on the season and 10-8 in the conference while Lesley drops to 2-22 overall and 2-15 in league play.
Before the game, the Lynx honored seniors Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.), Emily Fleming (Medford, Mass.), and Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass.) with a brief ceremony to celebrate their time and dedication to the Lesley women's basketball program.
The Hawks drained a season-high 53-percent (27-of-51) from the field, including a matching 53-percent (9-of-17) from beyond the arc. Senior guard Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) posted her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds while she also added a team-high six assists. Seniors Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, Mass.) and Jacqueline Chila (Monroe, Conn.) also finished in double-figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The seniors shined for the Lynx on Senior Night as Fleming led the team with 16 points, six rebounds, and six helpers while Apgar finished with 12 points and a game-high three steals. Mercurio tallied eight points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting to go with her eight boards. Junior Grace Amato (South Royalton, Vt.) chipped in with 11 points.
Holding a 17-12 lead with 11:59 to go in the first, the Hawks went on a 17-5 run over the next five minutes to take a comfortable 34-17 advantage. Five Becker players scored during the spurt, but it was McNiff who committed most of the damage by knocking down three triples for nine of her 21 points.
Becker hit on 52-percent (15-of-29) of their shots in the opening twenty minutes to take a 43-23 lead into the break.
The visitors to knock down shots in the second half and two Ooms free throws with 5:48 to go opened up their biggest lead of the night, 74-41.
The Hawks held an advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Lynx by a 53-32 margin while Lesley held the advantage in points in the paint, 22-14. The Becker bench, led by McNiff, outscored the Lesley reserves 34-4.
Lesley will wrap up their 2014 campaign on Thursday, February 20th when they head to Daniel Webster College at 5:30p. Becker, who wrapped up their regular season tonight, will await the final seeds for the NECC Championship to find out their matchup. The Hawks currently sit in four place.