Women Make It Five in a Row at Lesley

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Mitchell College freshman Caycee Williams recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Mariners to a 55-39 victory over Lesley University in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Thursday night at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols.

The win was the fifth in a row for Mitchell, which improved to 7-7 on the year and 7-1 in the NECC. The Lynx fell to 1-14 overall and 1-7 in conference action. 

Complementing Williams' offense was senior Kate Mulloy, who finished just a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Sophomore Amanda Garcia came off the bench to record nine points and 11 rebounds while freshman Jessica Shepherd and sophomore Diamond Thomas each chipped in with four. 

Leading the way for the Lynx was Emily Fleming, who finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals while Sarah Apgar dumped in seven points, a team-high nine rebounds and four steals. Ari Dimou added nine points and five boards. 

The Mariners dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Lynx by a 68-38 margin, and grabbed 21 offensive boards which led to 20 second chance points. The visitors also outscored Lesley in the paint by a 20-10 margin. Both teams struggled from the floor as the Mariners hit at a 31-percent rate while holding the Lynx to just 21-percent shooting. 

A Williams trey gave the Mariners a 6-5 lead three minutes into the game and the visitors would not trail again. Six minutes later, Lesley's Jackie Ewing knocked down a three to even the game at 12-12, but Mitchell answered with a 4-0 run to keep a four-point cushion. The teams exchanged buckets in the final moments of the half as the Mariners went into the locker room with a 24-20 edge. 

Mitchell opened up a 30-22 advantage just four minutes into the second stanza, but back-to-back buckets by Emily Meade and Apgar cut the deficit back down to four. After a Mulloy lay-up, Fleming brought the Lynx to within three points when she drilled a trey from the left wing to make it 32-29. 

The Mariners then seized control as they sprinted out on an 18-2 streak to take a commanding 50-31 advantage before rolling to the 55-39 victory. Mitchell used a balanced attack on the run as six different players chipped in during the spurt. 

Mitchell will nest host Elms College on Saturday, January 18 at 1:00 p.m.