Norton, Mass. – December 10, 2010 – Kelly Slattery registered a game-high 19 points to lead the Springfield College women’s basketball team to a 60-49 victory at Wheaton College on Friday evening in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action.

The win brings Springfield to 3-5 on the season, but more importantly, 3-1 in conference play. Wheaton falls to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the NEWMAC.

Slattery led all scorers with 19 points, going 9-of-14 from the field. Sophomore Meghan Biondolillo and junior Kelly Murphy contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Emily Walker grabbed a game-best 11 boards, including five offensive, while Andrea Butler tallied game highs of 10 assists and four steals.

Sophomore Jeana Trimboli paced the Lyons with 17 points, while classmate Natasha Colon Ortiz had eight points and six rebounds. Junior Nicole Cullinane turned in seven points and four assists, and sophomore Gabbie DePalo added six points and six boards during her return from injury.

Six lead swings and a trio of ties transpired in the opening half, with each team leading by as many as five. Springfield jumped out to a 7-2 advantage 3:22 in before Wheaton answered with six straight points for an 8-7 edge at 15:07. Four lead changes ensued over the next 5:06, as a 6-0 Lyon run provided the hosts with a 19-14 edge with less than seven minutes to play in the half. The Pride responded with a 10-2 spurt for a 24-21 lead at 2:54, but Trimboli knocked down a trey with 17 seconds left to make the score 24-all at the break.

In the second half, the visitors shot 51.9 percent from the floor while pulling down seven offensive boards and attempting 13 free throws to Wheaton’s one. A Trimboli lay-up with 13:25 to go knotted things up at 35 apiece before Springfield reeled off nine straight points and didn’t look back. Leading 44-35 at the midway point, the Pride ballooned its edge to 13 on two occasions. Back-to-back threes by Cullinane and Trimboli whittled the Lyon deficit to five at 54-49 with 2:45 to go but didn’t score again, as Springfield tallied the game’s final six points.

The Pride will have its hands full on Tuesday evening as it takes on the top-ranked team in the country, Amherst College, at 7:00 pm.