SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Junior Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass.) compiled a monster double-double of 26 points and 19 rebounds on Wednesday, leading Clark University women's basketball past Mount Holyoke, 90-37, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on the road. 

The Basics

Score: Cougars 90, Lyons, 37

Records: Clark University (5-17, 1-6 NEWMAC) | Mount Holyoke College (1-21, 0-7 NEWMAC)

How it Happened

Favaloro picked up her tenth double-double of the season and her fourth 20-point game of the year, setting a new career-high with her 26 point output on the night. Additionally, she corraled 15 or more rebounds for the third time this season, anchoring the Cougars in the post. 

Sophomore Ginny Benbow (Durham, Conn.) continued her strong play as the guard recorded 21 points on a 10-for-17 shooting display while sophomore Emily Sifferlen (North Andover, Mass.) aided the offense with 16 points while corralling nine rebounds. Sophomore Hallie Johnson (Princeton, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds while first-year Sarah Zambrano (South San Francisco, Calif.) gathered seven points in 12 minutes. 

The Cougars came out hot to start the game with a 12-point unanswered run which saw Favaloro pick up seven early points. Clark remained in control throughout the first quarter, but Mount Holyoke was able to close the gap to 19-10 at the end of the frame. 

The second quarter started in a back-and-forth fashion with five alternating baskets combined from the two sides. The Cougars made the most of what remained of the second quarter as a pair of free throws and an ensuing lay-up from Favaloro sparked a 16-6 scoring run, pushing the advantage to 21 points at the halftime break.

With a 42-21 advantage to start the second half, the Cougars quickly went back to work as Sifferlen scored the first points of the quarter, draining a three-pointer on a perfectly executed offensive play. With 5:54 to go in the third quarter, Benbow began to find her rhythm, pouring in nine straight for the team and 11 throughout the quarter as Clark's lead ballooned to 68-32 heading into the final frame. 

Clark continued to push the tempo, scoring 20 unanswered points to begin the fourth quarter, including six from Sifferlen and four from Favaloro. The Cougars continued to roll down the stretch en route to the 90-37 final score to pick up the team's first NEWMAC win of the year. 

The Cougars finished 35-of-71 from the field (49.3%) and knocked down 8-of-21 from beyond the arc (38.1%) while the Lyons were 15-of-55 shooting (27.3%). Clark held a 48-30 advantage on the board and caused 14 steals during the victory. 

Up Next

The Cougars return home on Saturday, February 15, when they host Coast Guard Academy for a 7:00 PM league matchup at the inaugural Red Classic.