Box ScoreSouth Hadley, Mass. - January 27, 2010 - Kelly Murphy poured in a game-high 15 points to lead the Springfield College women's basketball team to a hard-fought 48-39 win at Mount Holyoke in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Wednesday evening.
Springfield has now evened its overall record at 9-9, and is 7-4 in the NEWMAC. SC finds itself in fourth place in the league, trailing WPI and Wheaton (both 8-3) by one game.
The key to the game was the Pride's 11-0 run over the final 6:09 as it secured the nine-point victory, its seventh-straight triumph over the Lyons.
Murphy who drained four three pointers en route to a game-high 15 points. The Pride also received a boost from first year forward Meghan Biondolillo, who tallied 11 points. Junior forward Amelia Sapowsky added six points and a game-high seven rebounds. The guests shot 38.0% (19-50) from the field and netted eight shots from beyond the arc. They outrebounded the Lyons 34-31.
Leading the way for Mount Holyoke was senior guard Erin Cain, who finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. First year Angelica Pascual and sophomore forward Tricia Chase posted eight points apiece. Meanwhile, senior forward Jess Olson added seven points and seven boards. The Lyons were limited to 30.6% (15-49) shooting as a team.
Springfield gained control of the contest with an 8-0 run over a span of 2:12 late in the first half, with Biondolillo highlighting the spurt with a pair of three pointers. Her third trey of the half put the guests in front 22-15 at the 4:26 mark. The Pride took a 24-19 edge into the locker room. Biondolillo led all scorers with nine points at the break, while Chase had eight for Mount Holyoke.
A jumper by Sapowsky put Springfield in front 37-32 with 9:16 remaining in regulation. Refusing to go away, Mount Holyoke exploded for seven-straight points over the next 3:10 to gain a 39-37 advantage. Cain got the rally started with a three pointer, and Olson closed it out with a jumper.
From there, it was all Springfield as the Pride outscored Mount Holyoke 11-0 over the final 6:09 to put things away. Murphy highlighted the spurt with a pair of three-pointers. Her first came at the 5:20 mark and gave her team the lead for good.
The Pride will resume action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts MIT at 1:00 pm for a NEWMAC contest.
Entering her 22nd season as head coach in 2012-13, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 306-156 record (.662 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to 12 post-season bids in the past 17 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
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