WORCESTER, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team secured a home playoff game thanks to a critical 73-61 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory over Clark University on Saturday afternoon in the Kneller Athletic Center.

The Lyons, who are the defending league tournament champions and seeded fourth, begin their repeat quest on Wednesday in a rematch against the Cougars. Wheaton raised its overall record to 15-10 and league mark to 9-4, while Clark, which had its six-game win streak end and is the fifth seed, slipped to 13-12 and 9-4.

Senior all-time leading scorer Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) needed just 2:29 to surpass the 1,500-point milestone, giving Wheaton an early 7-2 lead after converting her first three baskets. After the Cougars reeled off six straight points for an 8-7 edge at 14:51, senior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) drained a three as the Lyons retook the lead at 10-8 with 14:27 remaining. Wheaton eventually pushed its advantage back to five midway through the frame, capturing a 17-12 advantage, before Clark went on an 11-2 run to lead 23-19 at 6:19.

With the hosts clinging to a 25-22 edge with 5:50 to go before the break, the next point wasn't scored for 3:43 when junior Jenny Champney's (Bedford, MA/Bedford) basket began a half-ending 10-2 stretch over 1:56. The Blue and White made its final four shots of the frame, including a trey from senior Lauren Gosline (Peterborough, NH/ConVal Regional), to capture a 32-27 halftime advantage. Champney had five points in the run.

Senior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) helped lead the Lyons in the second half, scoring 14 of her team's final 36 points while going 6-of-9 from the field. After Clark scored 11 of the half's initial 16 points to take a 38-37 edge, Pleat's first bucket of the frame made it 39-38 at 14:34. A Cougar three-pointer forced the game's third tie with a little more than 12 minutes remaining before Wheaton ripped off 12 straight points in 3:30 to lead 57-45 at 8:15. Pleat had eight points in the stretch, including a three-pointer and a conventional three-point play.

Outside of a 67-58 advantage with 54 ticks left, the Lyons maintained a double-digit lead for the final 8:15. Champney's lay-up at 3:05 provided the game's largest lead at 67-52. The visitors went 16-of-32 in the second half, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. They also made all five of their free-throw tries. Clark hit on seven of its eight freebies and was 3-of-7 from three-point territory but only made 38.7 percent of its overall attempts.

A balanced scoring attack highlighted Wheaton's win, with Champney and Pleat each having 14 points. Pleat grabbed a career-high-tying seven boards, while Champney pulled down six. Hickey finished with 13 points, Smith had 10, and junior Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) turned in an all-around solid performance with seven points, eight assists and eight boards.

Junior Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, MA/Nashoba Regional) posted 16 points and seven rebounds for Clark, while senior Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, ME/Messalonskee) had 15 points and seven boards. Freshman Ivori Aiken (Harlem, NY/Hyde School) and senior Sara Hagstrom (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) added 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Aiken having eight rebounds.