CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Wheelock College proved to be too much for Lesley University as the Wildcats downed the Lynx 72-44 in New England Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball action tonight at the Nicholas Athletics Center. The victory bumps Wheelock to 4-7 overall and 2-3 in the NECC while the Lynx slide to 3-8 on the season and 2-3 in conference matchups.
The two sides will meet again and complete their two-game season series at Wheelock on Thursday, February 2nd.
The Wildcats wasted little time getting into an offensive rhythm as they scored the first 11 points of the night and never looked back, taking a commanding 23-9 lead at the end of the quarter. Senior Brianna Hochwarter (Attleboro, Mass.) knocked down a pair of three's to power the early surge and finished 6-of-15 from beyond the arc on her way to a game-best 22 points.
Sophomore Katie Walsh (East Islip, N.Y.) notched her third straight double-double for the visitors, commanding the paint with 16 points and 12 rebounds while swatting away three shots. Fellow sophomore Sarah Tobin (Salisbury, Mass.) added a double-double of her own with ten points and ten boards to go with three blocks while senior Jaime Grzych (Columbia, Conn.) finished with ten points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Junior Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) paced the offense for the Lynx, registering her second double-double of the season with team-highs of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals. Freshman Dakota Jones (Torrance, Calif.) added nine points while collecting nine caroms for the hosts while senior Emily Meade (Derry, N.H.) came off the bench for six points and four rebounds.
After heading into halftime trailing 34-19, the Lynx came storming out of the gate to start the third and reduced the deficit to just nine, 36-27, following an 8-2 spurt. Pereira anchored the run for the hosts with five points before freshman Linda Wallentine (Monroe Township, N.J.) capped it with a jumper from the elbow.
Wheelock would respond, however, by scoring ten straight points – four of which came off offensive rebounds – to regain control with a 46-27 advantage. The lead would continue to grow in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats notched their first victory of 2017.
Wheelock held Lesley to just 28% (17-of-60) from the floor while converting 35% (25-of-71) of their shot attempts on the night. The Wildcats were excellent from the charity stripe, hitting 89% (16-of-18) of their opportunities from the line while also holding a 54-42 edge in rebounds.
The Lynx will return to their home floor for another NECC contest on Thursday and welcome Elms College to the Nicholas Athletics Center at 8:00p. The Wildcats will also be back in conference action on Thursday when they play host to Mitchell College at 6:30p.