Wheaton pulls away from Plymouth State, 84-61 in first meeting

December 4, 2007

NORTON, MA- A balanced scoring attack led the Wheaton College women's basketball team to a decisive 84-61 non-conference victory over Plymouth State University Tuesday night in Emerson Gymnasium during the teams' first meeting. The Lyons moved to 3-2 with their second straight home win, while the Panthers dropped their fourth straight in falling to 3-4.

Following three lead changes and a trio of ties through the first 7:46, Wheaton seized control shortly thereafter, using a 15-3 run to double up the visitors, 24-12 at the 8:08 mark. Six different Lyons scored during that stretch, as junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) played a hand in Wheaton's last five points.

Holding a 24-16 lead at 6:51 of the opening half, Wheaton reeled off 13 of the game's next 16 points during 4:19 for the largest advantage to that point at 37-19. Sophomore Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) contributed to nine straight points thanks to a three, two lay-ups and an assist in a 2:11 span. With the hosts leading 37-19 with under two minutes left, Plymouth State closed out the half on an 8-2 run to get to within 39-27 at the break.

Wheaton knocked down 41.5 percent of its first-half shots after taking 22 more than the Panthers, as Plymouth State made 36.8 percent of its chances. The Panthers drained 12 of their 13 free throw attempts but gave the ball away 19 times, as the Lyons held a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Wheaton also blanked the visitors, 10-0 in second-chance points, as half of its 18 boards came on the offensive end.

A three by junior Annie Alosa (Concord, NH/Trinity) 57 seconds into the second frame cut the Plymouth State deficit to single digits, but six straight Wheaton points made it a 15-point game, and the Lyons never led by fewer than 13 the rest of the way. The final score proved to be the contest's largest margin, as the hosts went 14-of-17 from the free throw line in the second half. The Panthers made all 10 of their tries, finishing at a 95.7 percent clip by going 22-of-23.

Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) led Wheaton with a game-best 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) notched 14 points, senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) totaled 12 markers, seven rebounds and five assists, while Smith had 12 points, four boards and three assists. Bailey finished with nine points and six assists, while junior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) and sophomore Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) chipped in eight points apiece, with Kruse adding eight boards, four steals and two blocks.

Sophomore Laura Kent (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) paced the Panthers with 15 points by shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Alosa recorded 13 points, while senior Meg MacDonald (Salem, NH/Salem) added 11 by hitting all nine of her free throw attempts. Classmate Lauren Daniels (Concord, NH/Concord) had nine markers and a game-best 11 rebounds.

Wheaton faces its toughest test of the season on Thursday at highly-touted Brandeis University, which is currently receiving votes in both national polls. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 12/4/07.
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