BENNINGTON, Vt. — Scoring in triple digits for the first time in program history, the Southern Vermont College women's basketball team defeated Lesley University 100-47 Tuesday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
SVC is now 3-0 in NECC play (5-5 overall), marking the first time since the inception of the conference in 2008 that the Mountaineers have started the league schedule with three straight wins. Lesley falls to 0-2 against the NECC and 0-7 overall on the year.
Five Southern Vermont players reached double figures with junior captain Amber Flagg (Windsor, Connecticut) dropping a game-high 23 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and four steals; all of her boards were on the offensive glass. Freshman Chloe Longe (Enosburg Falls, Vermont) followed with 16 points, two steals, and a game-best six assists.
Mountaineer junior Marissa Myers (Chatham, New York) notched 15 points, all coming from beyond the arc, while classmate Turquoia Johnson (Montgomery Village, Maryland) had 14 points, five rebounds, six steals and three assists off the bench. Freshman Danielle Simmons (Rensselaer, New York) chipped in with 10 points in the win.
Lesley saw junior captain Jackie Ewing (Hong Kong, China) lead the team with 17 points, adding four rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman Kelsey Lynch (Rumford, Rhode Island) had nine points and six boards while senior Grace Amato (Sharon, Vermont) added eight points on the afternoon.
SVC shot a season-best 52.4 percent (43-82) from the floor with 10 baskets coming from three-point range. The Mountaineer defense held Lesley to a 26.9 field goal percentage (14-52) while shutting out the Lynx from deep (0-3). Southern Vermont forced 37 turnovers, getting 47 points off the takeaways; the Mountaineers were also able to use their 21 steals for a 24-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Flagg scored the first six points for Southern Vermont as the Mountaineer offense was slow to find its rhythm. An Amato jumper put the Lynx up 8-7 just over four minutes into the action, but that would be the last time Lesley held a lead through the rest of the day. SVC had a 19-13 advantage with 10:08 to go in the first before the hosts went on an 11-0 run to open things up. The Mountaineers kept up the pressure, and a three-ball by Myers at the 3:41 mark of the opening period upped the lead to 44-18. Lesley scored the next five straight points, but SVC then closed out the half with nine unanswered, capped by an Amber Dow (Panton, Vermont) trey, that sent SVC into the break with a 53-24 lead.
The Mountaineers kept their foot on the gas in the second half while pulling away for the big win. Johnson made a pair of steal-and-scores in a 15-second stretch, and Myers banged home four from downtown in the stanza as SVC hit the triple-digit mark for the 100-47 victory.
Southern Vermont next travels to Mitchell College on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. NECC contest while the Lynx visit Lasell College on Thursday for a 7 p.m. non-league tilt.