WILMINGTON, Del. - - An early second half surge had the deficit to as few as two points, but the Wilmington University women's basketball fell short on the road against cross-town rivals Goldey-Beacom, 64-52, on Saturday afternoon at the Joseph Jones West Center.
Sophomore Tenicia Spence hit five-three pointers , including two in the first five minutes of the second half as the Wildcats (4-10, 1-6 CACC) clawed to within two points at 42-40, but ran out of steam as Goldey-Beacom (7-8, 4-4 CACC) held on down the stretch.
Trailing 38-30 with 16:53 to play, Spence hit her first of three three-pointers in the second half to start 10-4 run for the visitors. Freshman Jocelyn Rodriguez hit her first bucket of the game to give the Wildcats five straight points before Tenicia Spence hit another three-pointer to make it 42-38 with 14:45 left on the clock.
On the team's next possession, Rodriguez hit another jumper from the foul line to make it as close as it would get in the second half at 42-40 with 13:54 remaining in regulation. The Lightning would then rattle off the next seven straight points, and go on a 12-2 run to go back up by double-digits.
Spence finished with a game high 25 points, hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. The sophomore also added a game high three steals. Rodriguez shot 3-of-4 from the floor off the bench for the Wildcats, finishing with seven points and three assists. Jenn Carr grabbed a team high 10 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.
The first half saw the Wildcats start their comeback, as they were down by as many as 15 points with 6:27 remaining in the stanza. The team fought all the way back to as close as four points following a pair of foul shots by Spence, and headed into the locker room down six, 32-26.
The Lightning were led by Lillian Chukwueze's 17 points while Briana Richmond-Peters narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game high 15 rebounds. Ten of Chukwueze's 17 points came from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats are back in action on Tuesday, as they return home to the WU Athletics Complex for another Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchup against Georgian Court. The Lions took the first meeting of the season between the two programs, 74-64, in Lakewood, N.J. The Wildcats will tip off at 6 p.m.