NEW LONDON, Conn. - In the second game of semifinal action at the New England Collegiate Conference Championships held at Mitchell College, the Lesley University women's basketball team cruised to a 65-49 victory over Elms College to reach the conference championship game for the first time in program history. 

The Lynx will play Daniel Webster College on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 pm after the Eagles defeated Mitchell 81-77 in the other semifinal game.

Lesley's junior forward Hailee Lowe (Hamilton, Mass.) amassed 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 34 minutes for the Lynx.  The First Team All-Conference winner hit 13-of-18 attempts from the floor as the Lynx hit 45.5% of their shots as a team.

The number two seed Lynx jumped out to a 18-4 advantage over the number three seed Blazers with 13:43 remaining in the first half after a made layup by sophomore Rachael O'Mara (Levittown, N.Y.).  O'Mara totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists for the Lynx as the forward attacked the hoop relentlessly throughout the game.  Six of her 11 points came from the charity stripe. 

Elms' Carolyn Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass.) led the Blazers to a first half comeback to within six points at 22-16 after the freshman sunk a three-point attempt.  The Lynx, however, were determined not to let the Blazers back in the game as they proceeded to go on a 13-0 run to separate from their opponents and take a 19-point lead into halftime.

Lesley maintained a solid double-digit advantage for much of the second half, allowing Elms to get as close as 14 points.  Lowe was too much for the Blazers to handle and tallied four points in the final two minutes to seal the victory for the Lynx.

Elms' leading scorer in the game was Amanda Brogna (Oxford, Mass.) who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Katie Condon (Sandy Hook, Conn.) was the only other Blazer in double-figures with 10 points. 

Along with Lowe and O'Mara, Lesley's Kaitlyn Wechsler (Merrick, N.Y.) reached double-digit points with 12 while adding six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Senior captain Lani Cabral-Pini (Wilmington, Mass.) commanded the offense well with four points, three assists and two steals.

Lesley improved to 16-10 on the season while Elms ends their 2008-2009 campaign at 15-12. 

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

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu