HOLYOKE, Mass. - Bay Path University defeated the Lesley University 56-44 tonight in a rescheduled New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) match from a January snow storm cancellation. The Wildcats improve to 5-15 overall and 5-11 in NECC play while the Lynx slip to 1-21 on the season and 1-13 in conference action.
Sophomore forward Frankie Wauneka (Easthampton, Mass.) led the Wildcats, who saw three players finish in double-figures, as she tallied the lone double-double of the night with game-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomores Brenna Roy (Stafford Springs, Conn.) and Kaylee Herring (Worcester, Mass.) combined to hit eight three's and 32 points while classmate Aaliyah Gordon (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with 10 boards, six points, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. Herring topped all players with six assists and added four rebounds and three steals. Roy was also a force inside with six rebounds, two steals and three assists.
The Lynx were led by sophomore Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) who registered a career-high nine points and tied her career-best mark with eight rebounds for the second straight game. Junior Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.) finished with eight points and seven rebounds while junior Jackie Ewing (Hong Kong) and senior Anthea Rathjens (Sudbury, Mass.) came away with seven points apiece. Rathjens also added eight rebounds for the visitors.
The first half was tight as the two teams exchanged the lead six times. Wauneka gave the hosts an 11-10 advantage before Lesley freshman Kelsey Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) put the Lynx back in front by one with a layup with 9:56 left in the opening stanza. The lead would not last long, however, as Wauneka and Herring teamed up to send the Wildcats on a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to give Bay Path a 21-12 edge before heading into halftime with a 25-20 lead.
After scoring the final two buckets of the first half, the Lynx carried that momentum into the second as they opened play with an 8-2 spurt powered by four points from both Ewing and Meade to reclaim a 28-27 advantage.
Once again, the Wildcats would have an answer as they used a 9-2 streak punctuated by a Roy triple off a Herring feed to give Bay Path a 36-30 lead that they would not relinquish.
Lesley held a slight 44-42 rebounding advantage and hit on 31-percent of their shots compared to Bay Path's 28-percent from the field, but the different came from beyond the arc as the Wildcats hit on eight from deep while Lesley went 0-of-9 from three-point range.
Both teams will meet up again in Cambridge on Thursday, February 19th at 8:00p as the Lynx kick off a three-game homestand.