WBB Wins Fourth Straight at Lesley

WBB Wins Fourth Straight at Lesley

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Four players scored in double figures as the Mitchell College women's basketball team earned a 71-56 victory at Lesley University on Sunday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference play.

The Mariners won their fourth straight game and sixth out of their last seven to improve to 8-9 overall (7-2 NECC). Ashleigh Beauford paced the visitors with 18 points while Dejia Santana filled out the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Francesca Pinard chipped in with 14 points and eight boards while Allegra Jones rounded out the leading scorers with 12 points. Kate McCormack also had a productive day, dishing out six assists to go with a career-high nine steals.

The lead changed hands several times in the opening 10 minutes, but neither side led by more than four. Lesley's Linda Wallentine sunk a three-pointer with under a minute left in the quarter to give the Lynx a 14-12 lead after the first.

Theresa Pereira kicked off the scoring for Lesley at the start of the second quarter, hitting a long shot for a 17-14 advantage. On the next possession for the Mariners, Beauford responded with a shot from beyond the arc to even the score with 7:15 left in the half.

Jordan Lohneiss drew a foul in the final second of the half and converted a pair of free throws to give Mitchell a 31-29 lead at the break. Beauford netted seven points in the stanza and led the Mariners with 11 at intermission.

A 12-0 run in the third gave Mitchell a 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play. The Lynx got within seven points early in the fourth off back-to-back lay-ups from Pereira, but Jones came right back with a three-pointer to extend Mitchell's lead to 52-43.

Mitchell comitted a season-low eight turnovers but forced 25 by Lesley. The lopsided margin resulted in a 26-4 scoring edge for the visitors in points off turnovers. 

Pereira came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points to lead the Lynx.

Mitchell will take a break from NECC play to host Pine Manor College on Thursday, January 25 at 6 p.m.