Freshman Kimberley Eri Soo Hoo (Benicia, CA/Berkeley) helped the Engineers maintain a slim lead in the early going, accounting for MIT's first six points via a pair of three-point buckets. With the visitors leading 12-8 with just less than 14 minutes to go in the half, Wheaton senior Mary Flaherty (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester) drilled a trey followed immediately by a Samara Audet (Derry, NH/Trinity) steal and breakaway lay up, giving the Lyons a 13-12 edge and a lead they would hold the rest of the game. With 17 seconds left in the stanza, Flaherty closed the half by hitting her second three-pointer to give Wheaton a 33-23 advantage heading into the break.
Eri Soo Hoo hit a jumper to start the second half, as the Engineers began to chip away at their double-digit deficit. Offensive contributions from junior captain Karen Kinnaman (Woodstock, NY/Onteora) and sophomores Cherelle Walls (Memphis, TN/East High) and Michal Ruchelsman (West Orange, NJ/The Frisch School) aided a 15-5 run to bring MIT to within two at 44-42 with less than 13 minutes to play. Eri Soo Hoo would eventually hit a free throw minutes later at 8:49, but the point proved to be MIT's last, as the Lyons stymied the Engineer offense by holding them without a basket in the final 12:50.
Wheaton freshman Courtney Riley (Quincy, MA/Fontbonne Academy) kicked off the 22-1 run with three consecutive buckets, and Audet and senior captain Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) added two baskets each down the stretch, giving the Lyons the convincing victory.
Riley used a strong second half to record a game-high tying 13 points (6-9 FG). She also pulled down seven rebounds and blocked five MIT shots. Audet finished with 12 points (6-10 FG) and a career-best eight boards. Williams rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and six rebounds, while Flaherty added eight points, a game-best five assists and three steals.
Eri Soo Hoo tied the game-high point total with 13 on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including a flawless 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Walls was the only other MIT player in double figures, as she recorded 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Wheaton returns to Emerson on Thursday, January 27 for the third game of its four-game homestand, as the Lyons take on non-conference opponent University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Newspaper Box Score MIT vs Wheaton College 1/25/05 5:30 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 66, MIT 43 MIT (3-10, 0-5) Kimberly Eri Soo Hoo 5-7 1-2 13; Cherelle Walls 5-13 0-0 10; Michal Ruchelsman 2-6 4-4 9; Karen Kinnaman 2-9 0-0 4; Christa Margossian 2-7 0-2 4; Sharon Prange 1-6 0-0 2; Stephanie Chiang 0-0 1-1 1; Jasmin Moghbeli 0-4 0-0 0; Joanna Natsios 0-0 0-0 0; Jordan Wirfs-Brock 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-54 6-9 43. WHEATON COLLEGE (6-10, 3-3) Courtney Riley 6-9 1-2 13; Samara Audet 6-10 0-0 12; Kate Williams 4-10 2-2 10; Mary Flaherty 2-11 2-2 8; Kim McCormack 3-6 2-2 8; Jessica Pine 3-5 0-0 7; Vanessa Savas 2-3 2-2 6; Michelle Portilla 0-3 2-2 2; Lisa Gibson 0-0 0-0 0; Becky Aitchison 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 11-12 66. MIT........................... 23 20 - 43 Wheaton College............... 33 33 - 66 3-point goals-MIT 3-5 (Kimberly Eri Soo Hoo 2-2; Michal Ruchelsman 1-2; Karen Kinnaman 0-1), Wheaton College 3-12 (Mary Flaherty 2-7; Jessica Pine 1-1; Kate Williams 0-2; Samara Audet 0-2). Fouled out--MIT-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-MIT 33 (Cherelle Walls 8), Wheaton College 35 (Samara Audet 8). Assists-MIT 11 (Kimberly Eri Soo Hoo 3; Karen Kinnaman 3; Michal Ruchelsman 3), Wheaton College 15 (Mary Flaherty 5). Total fouls-MIT 12, Wheaton College 12. A-65