CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University women's basketball team saw their first semester of play come to a close with a 65-40 setback to Simmons College in non-conference action tonight at the Nicholas Athletics Center. The loss slips Lesley to 1-8 on the season while the Sharks, now winners of two of their last three, improve to 3-5 overall.
Prior to the game, the Lynx honored the career of senior Anthea Rathjens (Sudbury, Mass.) with a brief Senior Night ceremony as the forward will be graduating this semester. Rathjens, a two-sport athlete who was also a member of Lesley's women's volleyball team, appeared in 69 career games in her Lynx basketball career.
After Lesley scored the opening bucket of the game with a Hannah Levensailor (Ayer, Mass.) jumper, Simmons would go on a 14-2 run over the next seven minutes that was fueled by a balanced attack that saw six different players register points. The Lynx would claw back into as back-to-back layups from Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) would spark a 6-0 spurt to cut the hosts' deficit to 14-10. The Sharks would push their edge to six before the end of the quarter when Lauren Brandau (Madison, Conn.) drained a feed from Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) with just three seconds left on the clock.
The momentum from Brandau's jumper at the end of the first carried over and ignited a 9-4 run to start the second quarter before the Sharks would close out the half and go into the locker room with a 15-point edge, 32-17.
Simmons would continue to keep their foot on the gas after the break, outscoring the Lynx 21-7 in the third quarter to stake a 53-24 advantage on their way to the 60-45 win.
Francesa Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) paced the offensive attack for the Sharks with 14 points, and four steals and Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) finished with eight points. Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) and Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) added six points apiece while McAdams pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.
Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) led the hosts with 19 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, while Hayley Wirth (Escondido, Calif.) added seven points and six rebounds off the bench. Rathjens ended her career with a solid night of six points, a game-high nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Levensailor finished with six points and four boards.
Lesley held a slim 42-41 edge in rebounds on the night but Simmons forced 29 Lynx turnovers and turned them into 22 points to help supply the offense on the night. The Sharks reserves also outscored the Lynx bench by a 21-11 margin.
Lesley will return to play on Saturday, January 8th when they host Becker College at 7:00p in a New England Collegiate Conference matchup. Simmons will open their second semester with a four-game homestand that will kick off on Saturday, January 2nd against WPI.