Huge second half pushes Wheaton past defending NEWMAC champion Mount Holyoke, 67-48, Hickey notches double-double

January 9, 2008

SOUTH HADLEY, MA- Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) poured in 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a huge second-half surge by the Wheaton College women's basketball team at Mount Holyoke College Wednesday night, as the Lyons posted a 67-48 triumph over the defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champions during each team's league opener in Howard Gymnasium.

Wheaton, which doubled up the hosts, 46-23 in the second half after trailing by four at the break, shot a sizzling 69.0 percent from the field in the second stanza, missing on just nine of its 29 attempts. The Lyons won their fourth straight to improve to 8-4 overall, while Mount Holyoke dropped its sixth game in seven tries to fall to 2-9.

Following a first half that witnessed seven lead swings and a pair of ties, Wheaton needed just over three minutes of the second frame to erase its four-point halftime deficit. A pair of Hickey free throws at 16:52 knotted the score at 31, which was part of an 18-1 Lyon run that made the score 44-32 with 11:26 remaining. Sophomore Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) scored six straight points during 1:23 before Hickey capped the run with a three.

The visitors maintained their double-digit advantage the rest of the way, extending their lead to as many as 21 with 1:19 left, as Kruse finished sophomore Andrea Bailey's (Needham, MA/Needham) ninth assist of the night. In addition to Wheaton's offensive outburst in the second half, the Lyon defense clamped down and held Mount Holyoke to just 30.8 percent shooting, including 12.5 percent from beyond the three-point line. For the game, Wheaton forced 17 turnovers while committing just 12.

Hickey went 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 at the charity stripe to go along with three assists. Her 23-point night brought her within 49 points of 1,000, as she is attempting to become the first junior in Wheaton history to reach the milestone. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) was one board shy of a double-double with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 19 minutes, while Bailey fell one assist short of a double-double with just one giveaway. She scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five boards and four steals. Kruse finished with 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Mount Holyoke had just seven players see action, with four of its starters logging at least 32 minutes. Senior Marisa Barone (Ludlow, MA/Wilbraham and Monson Academy) led the way with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while junior Katie Austen (Mount Sinai, NY/Mount Sinai) had 10 points after making four of her five attempts. Sophomore Kate Shafir (Newton, MA/Beaver Country Day School) turned in seven points and eight caroms, and classmate Jess Olson (Gilbert, AZ/Highland) had six points, eight boards and three steals.

Wheaton opens the home portion of its NEWMAC schedule on Saturday afternoon against Babson College in the back end of a doubleheader with the men at 3:00 p.m. The Babson game also marks the beginning of a four-game homestand.

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