Jon Santer
Assistant Sports Editor
Freshmen Emily Taylor and Heather Lewis combined for 28 points as the host Springfield College women’s basketball team flew by Mount Holyoke, 55-38 Wednesday night at Blake Arena. With the win, the Pride improve to 4-19 (2-15), while the Lyons fall to 5-17 (3-14) on the year.
It was all Springfield in the first half, as forward Tamara Tribble drained a layup at the 9:38 mark to regain a one-point lead. The Pride would hold on to that lead for the remainder of the game. Three minutes and 14 seconds following the junior’s basket, Lewis knocked down a 15-foot jump shot of her own, and sparked a 10-0 run to end the first half.
Coming out of the locker room down 24-13, Mount Holyoke began to battle back, led by a pair of baskets from sophomore Amber Legare and senior Angelica Pascual. The tallies brought the Lyons to within nine points, prompting Springfield head coach Naomi Graves to sub in Taylor to join her classmate Lewis on the floor and let them go to work.
“They’re just athletic. When they’re on, boy isn’t it fun to watch? I was just so impressed with both of them,” commented Graves with a grin from ear to ear. “When they went zone, Emily stepped up. She finally put it together. It has been a struggle all season and Heather and her both put it together tonight.”
Taylor, who posted 12 points, two rebounds and two assists at game’s end, hit four jump shots in a span of five minutes to extend the Pride’s lead and give them a firm hold on the game heading into the final minutes.
“I felt confident out there,” said the local product out of West Springfield, Mass. “I felt like I was playing my role, doing what I was asked to do.”
The Pride received outstanding play from the entire team, but it was point guard Andrea Moschetta that shined in her coach’s eyes.
“This was Andi’s type of game,” said Graves proudly. “It wasn’t fast paced; it was controlled. She made great decisions, she kept the team pumped and played great defense. It was good stuff.”
With an arsenal of quick speed and good vision, Moschetta was able to distribute the ball to her teammates, picking up five assists as well as nine points in the contest. With four minutes remaining in the first half, the 5-foot-4-inch guard out of Harrison, N.Y. rolled off of a screen and drained a three-pointer that gave the Pride a 19-13 advantage. Following the shot, Moschetta found Tribble and sophomore forward Jaimie Bickelhaupt for baskets that allowed the Pride to take a 24-13 lead into halftime.
“We executed really well so we could get the shots we wanted, and we had one more pass so that worked for us too. We played as a team tonight,” said Moschetta. “We knew that we could run on them coming into the game, so we liked to use that to our advantage.”
The Pride will wrap up the season with a tough contest against the NEWMAC top-ranked Babson Beavers at home this Saturday.
“We’re going to try and finish on a good note,” said Graves, approaching the end of her 22nd season on Springfield’s sidelines. “That might not necessarily mean a win, but rather feeling good about the way that we played.”