THE BASICS 
Lesley University 45, New England College 53

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (3-2, 0-0 NAC)
New England College Pilgrims (4-2, 0-0 GNAC) 

Location: Lexington, Mass. – Minuteman Gymnasium

Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

THE LEAD –  In a back-and-forth battle most of the night, the Lesley University women's basketball team fell to the New England College Pilgrims 53-45 in nonconference action. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both sides traded baskets in the first, as neither side could pull away from one another. New England College had a brief 10-6 before the Lynx cut the deficit to one thanks to an Abbie Price (Waco, Texas) three-pointer. Shortly after, Abigail Lacy would convert on a layup for the 12-9 advantage, and the Pilgrims maintained the three-point lead going into the second. 
• As the second quarter got underway, the Pilgrims offense started to heat up as the visitors grabbed a five-point (18-13) courtesy of a Lacy jumper. New England College would go onto increase its lead again after a Gabriella Matlock layup made it 22-15 with 4:51 left until halftime.
• Despite the eight-point lead, Lesley hung around and cut it down to five (22-17) after Ahidali DeHuelbes (Tucson, Ariz.) converted a layup, which led to a Lesley timeout. Coming out of the timeout, New England College applied the offensive pressure and gave themselves their largest lead of the half thanks to an 8-2 run after a Lacy layup made it 30-19 with 54 seconds left in the half. During the Pilgrims' scoring burst, Bailey Burke spearheaded the run with six straight points. As the half came to a close, Madalynn Biagi (Lincoln, Calif.) would hit a layup with 24 seconds left, and Lesley entered the half down nine (30-21). 
• Shortly into the third, New England College earned its largest lead of the night after a Burke jumper made it 34-21. With the significant lead, the Pilgrims kept Lesley at bay as the closest the squad could get was eight after Biagi converted on a free throw, which made it 39-31. However, thanks to solid defense, the Pilgrims went into the fourth with a 41-32 advantage. 
• New England College opened the fourth with a 10-point lead after a Lacy jumper made it 45-35 less than a minute in (9:01). However, despite the double-digit advantage, the Lynx clawed their way back into the contest and found themselves down four (45-41) thanks to a 6-0 run highlighted by four-points from Bella Terry (El Cajon, Calif.) and a Biagi layup that made it a four-point game. 
• After a Jayah Lively jumper pushed the lead back to six (47-41), the Pilgrims took a timeout. Coming out of the break, New England College would close things out by going on an 8-4 spurt thanks to a Lively free throw that made it 53-45 with 2:09 left. From that point on, the Pilgrims once again played strong defense and closed things out for the eventual 53-45 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Terry posted her fourth double-double this season with a team-high 16 points and a team-best 11 rebounds. In each game so far this season, Terry has scored in double-figures. 
• Lesley's other double-figure scorer was DeHuebles, who tied a season-high with 13 points and grabbed six boards on the night. 
• Chisholm was once again all over the court as the junior guard recorded four steals. She has now had four or more steals in three straight contests.
• Lacy led all scorers on the night with 22 points on 8-14 shooting. Burke was the Pilgrims' other lone double-digit scorer with 10 points. 
• Lively and Gabriella Matlock led the Pilgrims in rebounds Wednesday with seven apiece.
• New England College held a slight advantage in shooting percentage, going 37.3 percent (22-59) versus Lesley, who was 30.9 percent (17-55). 
• Both defenses played stingy the whole night as Lesley forced 21 turnovers, whereas New England College generated 23. 

UP NEXT

• Lesley wraps up its three-game homestand with another nonconference matchup this time against Bard College. The squad will take the court on Saturday, November 23 at 3:00 p.m.