The Lyons came out firing in the first half, jumping to a 9-0 lead before Emerson’s Ellie Feitlinger ‘08 (Madison, Wis.) ended the MHC run with just under fifteen minutes to go in the half. Mount Holyoke maintained control of the game, leading by an 11-point margin with 8:45 remaining. Emerson stayed within striking distance in part due to sophomore Bri Papa’s (Syracuse, N.Y.) 3-point shot in the last second of the half, to bring Emerson within four points, 28-24.
Emerson continued its offensive strike in the second half, clawing to within a single point twice in the first four minutes. Mount Holyoke regained composure immediately when junior forward Marisa Barone (Ludlow, Mass.) sank a pair of free throws. Barone’s free throws ignited a 13-5 MHC run over the next five minutes, enabling the Lyons to take a double-digit lead with 11:35 left in regulation. MHC attained its largest lead of the night (13) on a jumper by Kate Shafir ‘10 (Newton, Mass.) at the 7:08 mark, 52-39. Emerson fought to bring the score as close as six in the final minutes of the game, but ultimately could not overcome its deficit.
Three Mount Holyoke College players scored in double-digits. Behind Astuccio, Barone notched 12 points and Joeanna Silvey (Boston, Mass.) totaled 11 points. First year Jessica Olson (Gilbert, Ariz.) led the team in rebounds, notching eight boards on the night. Mount Holyoke shot an impressive 45.2% from the floor and dropped in 20-of-32 attempts from the charity stripe.
For Emerson, Lindsay DeStefano ‘08 (Chepachet, R.I.) and Maude Okrah ‘09 (Rutland, Mass.) led the team with 11 points apiece. Feitlinger topped EC’s rebounding column with 10 boards. Emerson shot 31.0% from the floor, and finished 5-of-12 from behind the arc.