CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In a game that saw five lead changes and the score tied on seven different occasions, the Falcons of Fisher College held on to spoil Lesley University's home opener with a 61-52 victory over the Lynx in non-conference action tonight at the Nicholas Athletic Center. Fisher improves to 1-4 on the season with the win while the Lynx drop to 0-4 in 2014.
Fisher freshman Murphy Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) led all players with 21 points on the night to go with her five rebounds while junior forward Christine Briggs (Rumford, Maine) finished with 12 points and 20 boards. Fellow junior Shakieya Roland-Drake (Boston, Mass.) went a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line on her way to 12 points while sophomore Alexis Akridge (Union, N.J.) finished just one point shy of a double-double as she finished with nine points and ten rebounds.
Lesley senior Grace Amato (Sharon, Vt.) broke the Lesley single-game rebounding record as she pulled down a career-high 21 caroms while leading the Lynx with 14 points. The previous record of 20 rebounds was set during the 2009-2010 season by Brianne Caira '11. Junior Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.) finished with 11 points and five steals while freshman Kerry Flaherty (Woburn, Mass.) also finished in double-figures as she chipped in with ten points and seven rebounds.
The first half was tight throughout as neither team was able to pull ahead by more than four points. Trailing 16-15 with 6:36 to go in the opening half, the Lynx went on a 9-4 run over the next three minutes to claim a 24-20 edge. Dimou scored Lesley's final five points during the spurt as she knocked down a pair of free throws before capping the run with her only triple of the night.
The Falcons would answer as they closed out the half on a 7-2 run of their own. Roland-Drake propelled the guests into the lead at the break as she buried a pair of free throws after being fouled with just three-seconds left on the clock.
Fisher opened the second stanza on a 6-2 run and never trailed again on their way to their first win of the season.
With the Falcons leading 46-39 with 9:22 on the clock, the Lynx used an 8-4 run capped by a jumper from freshman Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) to pull within three, 50-47. Once again, Fisher had an answer as a Murphy Carroll free throw sparked an 8-3 burst to extend the lead to eight points before rolling to the 61-52 win.
The Lynx will open up New England Collegiate Conference play on Thursday when they host Newbury College in the finale of their two-game homestand at 8:00p. The Falcons will also return to the floor on Thursday as they will welcome Rivier University for an 8:00p tip-off.