HENNIKER, N.H. – Southern Vermont College fell 86-40 to New England College Tuesday night in non-conference women's basketball action at Bridges Gym.

A strong first quarter helped the hosting Pilgrims take a 44-21 lead into halftime, and NEC then continued on through the final 20 minutes to finish off the win.

The Mountaineers (1-6) will play their final game of the fall semester on Sunday at SUNY Cobleskill, tip-off slated for 1 p.m.

SVC freshman Taylor Mallett (Berwick, Maine) had a season-best 12 points to lead the team, adding three rebounds and a pair of steals to her line. Senior captain Amber Dow (Panton, Vt.) tallied her first career double-double, scoring 10 points while grabbing a team-high 13 boards; her previous top rebound mark was seven on two occasions. Freshman Sarah Poirier (Ferrisburg, Vt.) registered 11 points and eight rebounds while classmate Kelly Dobbert (Stamford, Vt.) added seven points and five boards.

The Pilgrims went 31-for-88 (35.2 percent) from the floor as the Mountaineers were just 13-for-55 (23.6 percent) on attempts from field goal range. The Pilgrims tallied 14 three-pointers and outscored SVC 27-14 in points off turnovers throughout the night.

After NEC notched a pair of opening baskets, Dow dropped a triple to cut the Southern Vermont deficit down to one. The Pilgrims answered on the ensuing possession with a downtown bucket of their own, and they would then tally 15 unanswered points for a comfortable cushion. Mallett ended that run with her first score of the evening, and Dow then added two successful free throws to make it a 27-9 New England lead at the end of the first.

Neither side could find the bottom of the basket through the opening two minutes of the second quarter before Poirier knocked down a jumper to start the scoring. The teams went back-and-forth as Southern Vermont connected on its free throws through the backend of the stanza; Dow hit another pair of freebies while Dobbert went five-for-six from the charity stripe in the final 2:04 of the half. Still, NEC continued its offensive success to bring a 44-21 advantage into the locker room.

Mallett had six points for Southern Vermont in the third period while Poirier and Dow each had another four, but it would not be enough to chip away at the Pilgrim lead as the hosts were able to maintain their separation. Poirier added another three points in the final frame while NEC closed out the victory.

– #LetsGoSVC –