Box Score Worcester, Mass. – Clark University jumped out to an early 18-4 lead and never looked back taking a wire-to-wire 72-42 win over Mount Holyoke in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the Kneller Athletic Center.
The win for the Cougars pushes their record to 5-17 overall, while the Lyons, who fought hard all game long, remain winless on the season, slipping to 0-22.
Clark got a career-high from Kacey Legare (Chicopee, Mass.) and a double-double from emerging first-year Ogechi Ezemma (Hope Valley, R.I.) en route to their second win in their last three contests.
The Scarlet and White wasted little time building their lead to double figures in this matchup as they held the Lyons scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the opening stanza, turning an 8-4 lead into a 14 point advantage following a 10-0 run that featured four points from Sam O'Gara (Worcester, Mass.), a jumper from Rachael Chen (Needham, Mass.), a Legare triple and a Gwyneth Ivory (Ashland, Mass.) free throw.
Mount Holyoke finally broke their scoring drought with three second left in the quarter on a Kelly Stewart (La Canada, Calif.) three-pointer. That basket actually kickstarted the best offensive stretch of the night for the visitors as they trimmed the Clark lead down to six at 20-14 during a 10-2 burst that was highlighted by an inside hoop and a three-point bomb from Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn.).
Clark answered back and truly put the game away moments later, closing the final 6:39 on a 22-9 spurt that made the score 42-23 at halftime.
The Lyons wouldn't get any closer as the Cougar defense held them to just 19 second half points, including just six in the final frame as the lead grew to as many as 33 late in regulation.
Clark really took advantage of the Mount Holyoke miscues, turning their 24 mistakes into 28 points. The Cougars also controlled the interior, outrebounding the Lyons 54-29 and holding a 20-8 edge in second chance points.
For Mount Holyoke, Green was aggressive all night and it showed in her statline, as she finished with a game-high 20 points, to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes of action. Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn.), meanwhile, chipped in with ten points and Stewart added nine.
The Cougars were paced by Ezemma's second straight double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, while Legare notched 13 points and four boards and Haley Wilder (Rindge, N.H.) added ten of her own.
O'Gara (eight points, six assists, three rebounds) and Aretha Sullivan (four points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals) both had solid all-around efforts, while Dominique St. Pierre (Portsmouth, N.H.) provided a spark off the bench with three points, four rebounds and three steals.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday with the Lyons hosting Wellelsey and the Scarlet and White venturing to Coast Guard.
