WBB Sails Past Lesley and into NECC Championship

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The top-seeded Mitchell College women's basketball team punched a ticket to their second consecutive New England Collegiate Conference title game by sailing past fourth-seeded Lesley University 86-43 on Thursday night in an NECC semifinal showdown at the Yarnall Athletic Center. The Mariners beat the Lynx for the third time this season and improved to 17-9 overall, matching the school record for single season wins in the Division III era.

The Mariners, who are seeking the second NECC championship in program history, made quick work of the visiting Lynx by opening the game on an 11-2 run and never looking back. Mitchell led 30-10 after the first quarter and held Lesley to just six points in the second frame, cruising into halftime with a 53-16 advantage. The Mariners went on to outscore Lesley 20-13 in the third quarter before the Lynx took the final stanza, 14-13.

After recently being named to the All-NECC Team, senior Sam McKenna (Millbrook, N.Y.) paced the Mariners with a game-high 21 points to go along with four assists and three steals. Fellow senior Dede Stevenson (Hartford, Conn.) finished with 16 points on 7-11 shooting and five assists. Stevenson, who was named NECC Defensive Player of the Year, showed off her full arsenal by tacking on eight steals and four rebounds as well. Amina Wiley (New Rochelle, N.Y.), another All-NECC Team selection, posted her ninth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Kyrsten Lucas (Manchester, Md.) finished with 11 points off the bench.

Sophia Torres led the way for the Lynx, pouring in a team-best 16 points and nine rebounds. Sydnie Drezek tallied 13 for Lesley, who turned the ball over 37 times and were held to just 35.3% shooting.

Mitchell, meanwhile, shot 48% from the floor and scored 46 points off of turnovers. The Mariners also dominated down low, outrebounding Lesley 41-31 and finishing with 52 of their 86 points in the paint.

The Mariners (17-9) will be seeking the second conference title in program history when they host second-seeded Eastern Nazarene College in the New England Collegiate Conference championship game at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 25th, at the Yarnall Athletic Center. The Lions (11-14) advanced into the NECC title game by defeating third-seeded New England College 87-78 on Thursday evening in the semifinal round.