Lyndonville, VT - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon scored the first 12 points of Sunday's women's college basketball game against Lesley University.  The Hornets never looked back and went on to earn a 66-51 non-conference victory.  Lyndon improves to 4-2 on the season, while Lesley falls to 2-7.

The Hornets started fast, as Riann Fortin (Derby, VT) scored inside on the first Lyndon possession.  Lyndon then proceeded to take advantage of several Lesley miscues, as the Lynx turned the ball over nine times in the first six minutes, allowing the Hornets to run out to a 12-0 lead.  Ariez Pimentel (San Leandro, CA) had a three-pointer and a layup to fuel the Hornet run.  Lyndon parlayed the fast start into a 14-4 lead after one quarter.

Lesley got back into the game in the opening minutes of the second quarter.  Kizziah Ruff was the catalyst for the Lynx, starting the quarter with a three-pointer and following it up with a steal and layup which narrowed the Hornet lead to 14-11.  After Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, NH) knocked down a jumper for the Hornets, two more Ruff baskets made it a one-point game.  The Hornets responded with a quick seven-point burst, starting with a Faith Poirier (Portsmouth, NH) three-pointer.  Lyndon then kept Lesley at bay and headed into halftime with a 30-21 advantage.

Lyndon pushed the lead back into double figures in the early moments of the third quarter.  Fortin converted a pair of free throws, then Crompton's steal and layup made it 34-21 Lyndon.  After Hillary Berry scored inside for Lesley, Fortin scored inside, was fouled, and converted the free throw to extend the lead to 14 less than a minute into the period.  The teams then competed on fairly even terms over the next several minutes.  Lesley then got back in it when Sydnie Drezek's basket and free throw cut the Hornet lead to 41-34 at the 3:08 mark.  The Hornets steadied things, and a Poirier three-pointer moved the advantage back to 12 points with 1:08 to go in the quarter.  Lyndon took the 12-point advantage into the final period.

Lesley was never able to cut into the Hornet lead in the final quarter, as Lyndon cruised to the win.

Fortin had a strong all-around game to lead Lyndon.  She finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots, and three steals.  Saleena Porter (St. Johnsbury, VT) also posted a double double with 14 points and a game high 15 rebounds.  Crompton added 16 points, six assists, and four steals while Poirier chipped in with ten points and four steals.  Ruff was Lesley's only double figure scorer, totaling 18 points.

Both teams struggled from the floor.  Lyndon converted 25 of 77 shots (32.5%), including four of 22 (18.2%) from three-point range.  Lesley fared even worse, only converting 18 of 57 attempts (31.6%), including only one of 14 (7.1%) from distance.  The Hornets held a slim 48-46 rebounding advantage.  The Hornets also forced 28 Lynx turnovers, resulting in 29 Hornet points.

The Hornets close out the first semester next Saturday when they host Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  Tip-Off is set for 2:00 pm in Stannard Gymnasium.