Lyndonville, VT - One day after losing to Maine Maritime Academy by 50 points, the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon women's basketball team nearly pulled off a turnaround of epic proportions.  The Hornets took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter of Saturday's North Atlantic Conference contest before the Mariners rallied for a 78-71 victory.  Maine Maritime improves to 16-2 on the season and sits atop the NAC's East division with a 10-0 mark in conference play.  Lyndon falls to 6-6 overall and 1-4 in the NAC.

The Hornets came out of the gates shooting much better than they did the previous evening.  Lyndon knocked down four of seven three-point attempts in the opening quarter, with Kerigan Disorda (Benson, VT) connecting on a pair, as Lyndon played Maine Maritime to a 19-19 stalemate.

Nyah Garner (Birmingham, AL) hit on a three-pointer to open the second stanza.  Sage Smith (Colebrook, NH) followed with another three, and Disorda converted a steal and layup to put Lyndon in front, 27-19.  Lyndon was able to maintain a single digit lead for the rest of the quarter, but Maine Maritime's Lauren Plissey converted a layup at the halftime buzzer to pull the Mariners back to within 41-38 at the break.

Plissey opened the second half with another basket to bring Maine Maritime within one point, but three straight baskets from Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, NH) built the Lyndon lead back up to seven.  After the Mariners' Lauren Cook converted a steal and basket to break the run, Crompton answered with seven more points in a row to give Lyndon a 54-42 lead with 5:05 to go in the quarter.  Maine Maritime scored the next eight points to cut the lead to four, but Faith Poirier (Portsmouth, NH) answered with a three-pointer and a layup.  Ariez Pimental (San Leandro, CA) then closed out the quarter with a pair of threes, and the Hornets found themselves with a 65-52 lead heading into the final quarter.

Maine Maritime again climbed back as the fourth quarter began.  Makenzie Monzon's steal and layup capped a 9-0 Mariner run that pulled the visitors within 65-61 with 7:14 to go.  Crompton stopped the bleeding temporarily with a layup off of a feed from Riann Fortin (Derby, VT), but another Monzon layup off of a Hornet turnover narrowed the Lyndon lead back to four, then Cook drained a three-pointer to make it a one point game with 4:52 to go.

The Hornets came up empty on their next possession, then Sydney Evhevarria-Briscoe was fouled and converted both free throws to give Maine Maritime their first lead since the opening quarter.  Cook got free for a layup to make it a three-point game, but Smith knocked down a jumper to pull Lyndon back to within one point, 70-69, with 2:57 to go.

Maine Maritime collected a pair of offensive rebounds on their next possession, culminating with a Maria Barela jumper to move the lead back to three.  Barela was then fouled following a Lyndon turnover, and made one of two free throws to make it a four point game.  After Lyndon again came up empty, Barela again made one of two to make the score 74-69, Mariners, at the 1:04 mark.  Maine Maritime was able to keep the Hornets at bay in the final minute to escape with the win.

Plissey and Cook scored 20 points each to lead Maine Maritime.  Plissey added 14 rebounds and four assists.  Barela finished with 12 points and Echevarria-Briscoe came off the bench to record a double double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Crompton paced the Hornets with 22 points and a team high six assists.  Smith also finished in double figures with 12 points.

Maine Maritime made 29 of 64 shots (45.3%) but only 5 of 20 (25.0%) from behind the three-point arc.  Lyndon was 28 for 60 (46.7%) and 10 of 25 (40.0%) from distance.  The Mariners won the game at the foul line, where they made 15 of 22 attempts to only 5 of 9 for the Hornets.  Maine Maritime also held a sizeable 45-26 rebounding advantage.

Lyndon head coach Ben Arsenault, Maine Maritime head coach Craig Dagan, and their respective coaching staffs wore sneakers and specially designed apparel in recognition of Coaches vs Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, a nationwide partnership between the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the American Cancer Society, and basketball coaches around the country designed to raise awareness and dollars in the fight against cancer.  For more information, please go to SuitsAndSneakers.org.

The Hornets will return to action on Monday evening when they host the University of Maine at Farmington in another North Atlantic Conference contest.  Tip-off in Stannard Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:30 pm.