Blue Cruise Past Mount Holyoke 54-32 on Wednesday

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Sophomore Anna Greenthal (Orinda, Calif.) scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Blue to a 54-32 win over New England Women's and Men's Conference (NEWMAC) opponent Mount Holyoke on Wednesday night.

Wellesley picks up its first win in 2022 and improve to 3-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Mount Holyoke drops to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in NEWMAC play.

Blue senior Valentina Morakis (Long Island, N.Y.) finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added six boards. Along with the 15 points, Greenthal knocked down three triples and had a team-high seven rebounds. Off the bench, sophomore Jiyun Chae (Chantilly, Va.) totaled eight points and three assists. First year Caitlin Windross (Eastvale, Calif.) was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and added seven points.

Mount Holyoke was led by Annika Brooks (Portland, Maine) with 14 points and 10 rebounds. First year Marley Berano (Lady Lake, Fla.) made a pair from downtown and finished with eight points. Isabel Cordes (Yorktown, Va.) and Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) each added four points for the Lyons. 

The Blue quickly got out to a 6-0 lead, capped off by an Allison Koziarz (New Rochelle, N.Y.) layup at the 7:57 mark. Mount Holyoke would battle back to make it a one possession game midway through the first quarter. Checking in off the bench with 2:09 to go, Chae netted the final two buckets of the quarter and helped the Blue end on an 8-0 run. Wellesley carried over its momentum into the second with Morakis adding a pair of baskets. In a run that spanned over 10 minutes, the Blue outscored Mount Holyoke 16-0 and held a 26-7 lead. Greenthal would knock down a three followed by a Morakis layup to end the half and Wellesley took a 34-13 lead into the break.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Greenthal drilled a three-pointer to extend the Blue lead back to 21 points. Mount Holyoke would score the final four points of the third, but the Blue held a 45-26 edge. The Blue would take its largest lead of the game (24) in the fourth after Koziarz knocked down a deep three and Morakis made a free throw. The Blue held on to capture the victory and finished with its best defensive performance of the season, allowing Mount Holyoke to score just 32 points. 

As a team, Wellesley shot a season-high 49% from the floor on 24-of-49. The Blue was also very efficient from three-point land going 4-of-6. In total, Wellesley forced 23 turnovers and scored 26 points off them.

The Blue remain on the road for a NEWMAc matchup with Springfield on Saturday, January 22 at 1:00 PM. Mount Holyoke will host WPI on Saturday at 2:00 PM.