Worcester, Mass. (March 1) -- On Sunday afternoon in the 2015 season opener at Holy Cross, the Assumption College women's lacrosse team used a strong second half to pull away for a 17-10 win over Molloy College in non-conference action.

Assumption held a 7-5 lead at the halftime break after recovering from an early 3-1 deficit as Cooper Sesselman scored her first of two goals on the day just over eight minutes into the game. The Hounds eventually tied the game at 3-3 as freshman Meghan Cushing (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) scored her first collegiate goal with 16:51 on the clock. Assumption took its first lead of the game moments later and stretched the advantage to 5-3 on a pair of unassisted tallies.

The Lions tied the game again with a pair of goals in a 42-second span before Assumption locked in on defense for the remainder of the half. Assumption took the lead for good on an unassisted goal from freshman Caitlin Graves (Ashland, Mass./Ashland) and extended to the 7-5 halftime margin on a goal from senior Amy McNeil (Orange, Conn./Amity).

In the second half, five different Hounds found the back of the net as Assumption outscored the Lions 10-5 over the final 30 minutes. Graves, who finished with her first career hat trick, made it a 14-9 game with 6:03 remaining on a man-up goal before the Lions reached double digits on an unassisted score from Meghan Orlando. McNeil, senior Camille Auger (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) and sophomore Tori Russo (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) closed out the scoring for Assumption in the seven-goal win.

McNeil led the Hounds with a five-goal effort, along with three goals and one assist each from Russo and Graves. In the win, McNeil reached the 200-point mark for her career, becoming just the second Hound to do so in program history.

For the Lions, four players finished with two goals each, including a two-goal, two-assist showing by Sesselman.

The Lions outshot the Hounds 36-31 and held an 18-11 advantage in draw controls, while Assumption owned a 25-17 edge in ground balls.

Assumption opens the season at 1-0 overall, while Molloy drops to 1-2 with the loss.

Assumption is back in action on Wednesday, March 4th as the Hounds travel to Florida Tech for a 7 p.m. start in Melbourne, Florida.

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