Women’s Basketball Cruises Past Lesley University, 80-39

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Elms College junior forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) scored a game-high 23 points to lead four teammates in double figures as the Blazers cruised to an 80-39 victory over Lesley University in Saturday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's basketball game in Cambridge, Mass.

With the win, Elms improves to 6-7 overall, 5-1 in league play, while Lesley moves to 1-12 on the season, 1-5 in NECC action.

Saturday's 41-point victory marks the Blazers' largest margin of victory this season and the largest since Elms defeated the Lynx, 73-29 on Dec. 10, 2011 in Cambridge, Mass.

Elms shot 43.9-percent from the field and out-rebounded Lesley, 61-33 to help seal the victory. Parks led all scorers with 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the floor, followed by a 15-point effort from junior forward Gianna Youngblood (East Freetown, Mass.).

Junior forward JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.) netted 11 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to give the Blazers three starters in double figures, while freshman forward Alex Marques (Newington, Conn.) chipped in 12 points off the bench.

Parks added nine boards, freshman guard Marissa Merrill (Meredith, N.H.) added nine points and seven boards, and Youngblood produced seven rebounds to help spark the victory. Marques and freshman forward Heather Bailey (Williamstown, Vt.) grabbed five rebounds each off the bench.

Lesley was held to 24.6-percent shooting and had three players, including Ari Dimou (Manchester, N.H.), Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.), and Grace Amato (South Royalton, Vt.) net a team-high eight points.

Emily Fleming (Medford, Mass.) handed out a game-best seven assists and Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass.) hauled in a team-high nine rebounds in defeat for the Lynx.

Elms is back in NECC action on Tuesday, January 14 when it hosts Daniel Webster College at 7:00 p.m. at Picknelly Arena.