BENNINGTON, Vt. — A fast start for Southern Vermont College proved to be too much for Lesley University to overcome as the Mountaineers topped the visiting Lynx 88-43 in New England Collegegiate Conference Women's Basketball action this afternoon at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
The win was the third in a row for the host Mountaineers as they improve to 11-8 on the year and 8-4 in the NECC while Lesley falls to 1-16 overall and 0-10 in the conference.
Southern Vermont senior Shaniquewa Barnes (Landover, Md.) shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line on her way to a game-high 30 points while grabbing 12 boards for her seventh double-double of the year. Sophomore Chloe Longe (Enosburg Falls, Vt.) followed with 16 points and nine rebounds as classmate Danielle Simmons (Rensselaer, N.Y.) came off the bench to tally 13 points and another nine boards. Freshman Amber Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.) had a solid game in her first collegiate start, going 3-for-3 from downtown to register a season-best 12 points.
Lesley sophomore Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) led the visitors with 16 points – her sixth straight game in double-figures – to go with six boards, four assists and three steals. Senior Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.) scored nine points while junior Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) tied a season-high with eight points and five boards. Sophomore Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) provided six points and two boards in the effort as senior Hayley Wirth (Escondido, Calif.) came off the bench to notch three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
SVC shot a season-high 51.7 percent (30-58) on field goal attempts for the day while holding Lesley to a 31 percent (18-58) clip from the floor. The Mountaineers had a strong advantage on the glass, pulling down 48 caroms to the LU's 25. Southern Vermont outscored the Lynx by a 35-9 margin in points off turnovers and a 42-24 tally in points from the paint. SVC also used its rebounding performance to top Lesley 14-2 in second-chance points.
The Mountaineers started the game on a 16-2 run, Barnes scoring eight of those SVC points while Lesure knocked down her first triple of the day. Barnes would add another basket at the 1:11 mark of the opening quarter before Lesley's Abby Henderson (Rochester, N.H.) finished off an and-one play with just seconds left to make it a 20-7 game at the period's end.
After baskets were traded to start the next stanza, Southern Vermont senior Marissa Myers (Chatham, N.Y.) spotted up and dropped a three-ball before hitting a jumper before Simmons added another for the Mountaineers to go in front 29-9. Longe and Lesure then buried back-to-back threes to increase the separation, and Barnes later registered six straight points in the closing two minutes of action to help send the game to intermission with SVC up 46-16.
The Mountaineers would keep their foot on the gas in the second half of play, building a lead by as many as 47 points.
Lesley will return to Cambridge on Monday and will host Newbury College at 8:00p while Southern Vermont takes to the road for its next game, visiting Becker College on Tuesday at 8:00p.
Release courtesy Southern Vermont College Sports Information