CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Reigning New England Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Week Dakota Jones (Torrance, Calif.) turned in her third consecutive double-double but Fisher College was able to overcome her efforts and down the Lynx 80-68 in a non-conference tilt Tuesday night. The win is the first of the season for the Falcons as they jump to 1-2 while the loss drops the Lynx to 0-3 on the season.
Jones finished with team-highs of 15 points and 12 boards – with seven coming off the offensive glass – to go with one assist, one steal, and one block in 34-minutes of action. Senior Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) poured in 14 points while freshman Kylie Lounder (Belchertown, Mass.) added 13 points and eight boards for the Lynx. Fellow first year Linda Wallentine (Monroe Township, N.J.) came off the bench to finish with 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds in a team-high 36 minutes. Sophomore Abby Henderson (Rochester, N.H.) added a season-high seven points while corralling four caroms.
The Fisher duo of junior Murphy Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) and sophomore Aliyanah McIntosh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced the attack for the Falcons as they teamed up to score 47 points. Carroll did all of her damage from beyond the arc as she connected for eight three-pointers while McIntosh worked down low to finish with 23 points and eight rebounds on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. Fellow sophomore Jameela Olivo (Hyde Park, Mass.) added a double-double for the hosts with 15 points and 12 boards while junior Madison Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with nine points, a game-best nine assists, and five rebounds.
Fisher jumped ahead quickly as they opened play with an 11-3 run capped on an Olivo layup, but the Lynx would punch back to pull within two with a 9-3 spurt over the next five minutes. Lounder would spark the streak with a put-back before Pereira capped it with a fast-break layup following a steal by senior Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.). The Falcons would extend their lead to 17-12 when Olivo completed an old-fashioned three-point play to close out the quarter.
Back-to-back buckets from Lounder and Wallentine would bring the Lynx to within one out of the gates in the second quarter, before the Falcons took control and outscored their guests 22-6 over the remainder of the second to head into halftime with a 39-23 advantage. Olivo and Murphy Carroll combined for 13 points in the quarter for the Falcons.
Lesley would not go down quietly, however, as they outscored Fisher 19-10 over the first six minutes of the third quarter and pulled within five on a Pereira jumper with 3:11 on the clock. The Falcons would bounce with a 11-3 run of their own, powered by three straight triples from Murphy Carroll to quickly push the lead back to double-digits, 60-46, entering the fourth.
The Lynx would pull within ten three times in the final frame, but each time the Falcons would answer back with a brief run to seal the game 80-68.
Lesley will be back in action after the Thanksgiving break and open up New England Collegiate Conference play on their home floor against Daniel Webster College on Tuesday at 8:00p.