SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - After a 12-day break between games, the NEC women's basketball team picked up right where they left off, utilizing an offensive explosion in the first quarter to win their second straight game with a 60-49 win over non-conference opponent, Mount Holyoke. 

Nine different Pilgrims scored in the contest, but the team was once again led by junior Camryn Lewis (Taunton, Mass.) who secured her third consecutive double-double with 13 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. She shot 6-11 from the field while entering the day in the top five in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in field goal percentage. 

The 'Grims were dominating offensively in the first quarter, scoring at will both in the paint and beyond-the-arc. Senior Mackenzie McDonald (Boscawen, N.H.) scored the team's first two baskets, with a jumper followed by a triple to take an early 5-0 lead. They would continue to build off that lead as they connected on five three-pointers in the quarter, made by five different players. 

Junior Jayden Estrada (La Mirada, Calif.) scored seven of her 11 points in the opening quarter on 3-of-4 shooting. She had four assists in the quarter as the offense was running through both her and senior Macy Gordon (Boscawen, N.H.) who also had four helpers in the first frame. Gordon ended with nine points and five assists in a team-high 35 minutes. 

After racing out to a 25-12 lead after 10 minutes, the Lyons managed to hang around, but the Pilgrims were able to keep their lead around double-digits for the majority of the game. Senior Alex Twomey led all scorers with 14 points but shot 0-for-5 from distance as Mount Holyoke was held to just 20 percent shooting from three-point range. They shot 33.9 percent from the floor while the Pilgrims shot 40.4 in the eventual 11-point win. 

Senior Ajayah Lively (Victorville, Calif.) played 31 minutes off the bench for the 'Grims, scoring seven points, bringing down seven boards, and tallying three steals. Sophomore Kaira Creary (Federal Way, Wash.) added six points on a pair of three-point jumpers. 

The team is back in action on Friday when they head to Northfield, Vermont for the Ed Hockenbury Classic, an annual two-day tournament hosted by Norwich University. The 'Grims will face the University of Maine at Fort Kent on Friday at 5:00 PM before playing either VTSU-Randolph or the hosting Norwich Cadets the following afternoon. 

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