The Saints came out firing to start the game, taking a 14-4 lead in the first six minutes of play. Senior Joneé Billy (New York, NY) answered back with three straight lay-ups to bring the Lyons within four with 12 minutes left to go in the first twenty. Both teams traded baskets for the next seven and a half minutes until the Lyons grabbed their first lead of the game off another Billy lay-up with 4:26 to go. The Saints outscored the Lyons, 13-7 in the final minutes of the half, entering the locker-room with a 39-34 advantage.
MHC fought back in the second period, taking a one-point lead at the 12:44 mark that would last for only 14 seconds. The teams would knot the score up six more times before Mount Holyoke’s Joeanna Silvey ‘07 (Boston, MA) knocked down a three-point basket with 4:45 left in regulation, assisted by classmate Angela Astuccio (Foxboro, MA). MHC was able to hold off the Saints’ last-ditch effort in the final minutes of the game to capture the victory.
Joneé Billy led all scorers and rebounders in today’s contest, draining 19 points and pulling down 12 boards. She finished 9-of-14 from the floor and was named Most Outstanding Player for the ECAC tournament. Two other MHC players recorded double-doubles: Jeanne Powers ‘06 (Danvers, MA) scored 13 points and pulled down 10 caroms, while Silvey finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Lyons hit 33.8% of their field-goal attempts, and 67.7% from the charity stripe. Defensively, the Lyons out-rebounded Emmanuel, 58-39.
Sophomore Brittany Bushman (Portsmouth, NH) paced Emmanuel with 18 points, 12 coming from downtown. Molly Forbes ‘06 (North Berwick, ME) chipped in 10 points and pulled down a team-high nine boards for the Saints. Junior Catherine Gallant (Quaker Hill, CT) also had a strong performance, notching 12 points and seven rebounds. The Saints shot 38.8% from the floor and tallied 12 steals on 19 MHC turnovers.