NORTON, Mass. - In the second game of the Wheaton College New Years Tournament, the Lesley University women's basketball gave Emerson College a tough game in an 65-45 loss on Friday night.
The first half was a battle between the two teams as they exchanged the lead 13 times and played to 10 ties. Early in the half, Hailee Lowe (Hamilton, Mass.) scored consecutive baskets in a 6-0 run that put the Lynx up 11-6 with 13:17 left in the period. Emerson junior Bri Papa (Camillus, N.Y.) led the Lions in a comeback effort in the first half in which the team scored eight of 10 points to regain the lead at 14-13. Papa ended the first half with a game high 13 points while Lowe led the Lynx with 10 points. Both teams headed into the locker room with Emerson leading 30-27.
The second half was a different story as the Lions went on a 16-0 run to create a huge deficit for the Lynx. Maude Okrah (Rutland, Mass.) scored six of those points. Lesley missed its first 10 shots and committed eight turnovers before they scored their first points of the half with 11:33 remaining in the game. The half was full of miscues by both teams as both Emerson and Lesley combined for 40 second half turnovers, totaling 62 in the game. The Lynx led the points off turnover margin at 24-15.
Emerson led by as many as 21 in the final seconds and the game ended with a score of 65-45. With the loss, Lesley dropped to 5-4 (2-0 NAC) on the season while Emerson improved to 4-5.
Despite the two loss in the tournament, Hailee Lowe was named to the All-Tournament squad as she tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals for the Lynx against Emerson. Junior Lani Cabral-Pini (Wilmington, Mass.) had a solid defensive effort in the tournament as she finished with six steals.
Next up for the Lynx will be non-conference opponent UMass-Boston on Tuesday January 8 at 8 p.m. at BB&N gymnasium in Cambridge. Emerson will host Fitchburg State College on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m.
To learn more about the Lesley University women's basketball team, please visit their website.