CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Freshman Sybil Lynch (Hoboken, NJ) scored a team-high 23 points and classmate Meagan Badohu (Boston, MA) added an additional 21 points to help lead Pine Manor College Women's Basketball to a 79-68 victory over visiting Fisher College on Wednesday evening at Brunelli Court.
With the win, Pine Manor improves to 9-12 overall, surpassing the Gators' win total of eight from the 2011-12 season and collecting the most wins by the program since the Gators finished with 11 wins during the 2005-2006 campaign. With the loss, Fisher finishes the regular season at 1-25 overall.
For Fisher, senior Porsha Grayson (Merced, CA) led all scorers with 29 points, shooting 10-25 from the field. Grayson was joined in double-figures by junior guard Javana Bernard (Waterbury, CT), who finished with 19 points, and sophomore Sabrina Rubaud (Brighton, MA), who recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and collecting 14 rebounds. Rubuad tied for game-high honors in rebounds with teammate Samantha Maldonado (Hoboken, NJ), who also collected 14.
Pine Manor sophomore Natasia Franklin (Windsor, CT) and senior Ashley Reeves both finished in double-figures with ten points each. Franklin collected a team-high 11 rebounds to record a double-double for the Gators.
Earlier this season, Pine Manor held on to take a 73-72 road victory over Fisher at Fecteau-Leary Gymnasium in Lynn, MA. However, in the opening minutes of the first half, it looked as if Fisher was eager to avenge their loss to the Gators just a month ago. Fisher raced out to a double-digit lead at the midway-point of the first, taking a 19-7 advantage following a layup from Grayson.
Trailing by 12, the Gators responded with a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to just three-points two minutes later. While a three-pointer from Bernard helped Fisher push the lead back to six just moments later, a pair of three-pointers from Badohu and a layup from Lynch helped gear an 8-2 PMC run and tie the score at 24-all with 5:21 remaining in the first.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Pine Manor would led by no more than five, as Fisher eventually fought back to take a two-point halftime led, at 39-37, thanks to back-to-back buckets from Bernard.
In the second half, the Gators found their groove. Franklin scored less than 30-seconds in to tie the score and Pine Manor was able to open up a double-digit lead thanks to a 10-run midway through the half, eventually leading by as many as 14 points, at 62-48, with 9:40 to play in the second.
From that point forward, Fisher would cut the deficit to single digits just once, at 71-62 with 5:17 remaining, as the Gators cruised to the 79-68 victory.
The Gators shot a blistering 46.9% in the second half to just 28.6% shooting for the Lady Falcons after the break.