NORTON, Mass. - The first contest for the Lesley University women's basketball in 2008 resulted in a loss to the Wheaton College Lyons by the score of 73-41.  The loss was the first game of Wheaton's New Years Tournament and Lesley will play Emerson College, who were defeated by Trinity College (Conn.), in the consolation game on Friday.

Playing one of the toughest teams on the schedule, the Lynx got a quality performance out of freshman center Brianne Caira (Pelham, N.H.).  Caira had a big first half for Lesley as she scored most of the team's points, tallying nine points on 4-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the line.  The second half was a different story, however, as Caira hit only one basket.  The talented freshman finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal.  Six of her eight rebounds were on the offensive glass.

Wheaton's stifling defensive forced 29 turnovers and the Lyons got offense from several contributors to help put the Lynx away.  Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, Conn.) was hot from the floor hitting 9-of-13 shots including 1-of-3 from beyond the arc for a game high 19 points.  Aitchison grabbed a team high seven rebounds, dished out three assists, and got four steals.  Ida Kruse (Vershire, Vt.) came off the bench to net 12 points in just 12 minutes of play.  The Lyons had offensive production from Jenny Champney (Bedford, Mass.) and Andrew Bailey (Needham, Mass.) who had nine and eight points, respectively.

With the loss, the Lynx fell to 5-3 on the season and will face Emerson at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.  The Lyons improved to 6-4 and will face off with 7-1 Trinity at 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about the Lesley University women's basketball team, please visit their website.