Redshirt sophomore Zameria Jones scored a career high 27 points to lead a balanced attack as the Wilmington University women's basketball team defeated Felician, 83-65, in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action on Saturday at Job Gym.
The Wildcats (8-17, 6-11 CACC) add to their best record since the 2009-10 season with the win, surpassing their overall win total from last year. The loss drops the Golden Falcons to 5-18 overall and 4-12 in the CACC North Division. Felician is still alive for post-season play in the North Division, trailing Post by a single game.
Wilmington played 14 student-athletes on Saturday while getting production from the entire bench. Jones led the way with 27 points while 13 Wildcats scored in the contest. The Wildcats used the full court press to perfection on Saturday, forcing Felician into 29 turnovers, resulting into a 28-10 advantage in points off turnovers. The Wildcats also held a 10-4 advantage on the fast break on Saturday.
Trailing 13-12 in the first half, the Wildcats used a 17-6 run to grab a 10 point lead with 4:50 to play, capped by a jumper from Taylor Carter. The lead grew to as large at 12 in the first half before a Lindsay Bradford layup gave the Wildcats a 40-30 lead heading into the halftime break.
Wilmington scored the first four points of the second half to grab a 14-point lead before Felician made its own run. An 18-8 run brought the Golden Falcons to within 52-48 with 13:13 remaining in regulation, the closest it was since the seven-minute mark of the first half.
Tashea Plummer ended the run with a layup to calm the Wildcats before Jones scored four straight to give the visitors some breathing room at 65-54 with 7:36 to play. Another Jones layup gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the game, 75-60, with 2:27 to play before another Jones layup had the Wildcats up 17 with a minute to play. A pair of free throws from Carter under 10 seconds to play rounded out the score at 83-65.
Jones' season and career high 27 points came on 12-of-24 shooting, while also hitting 3-of-6 from the foul line. The sophomore added five rebounds and three assists while also picking up three steals. First year Wildcat and junior Pressley grabbed a career high 10 rebounds while also scoring six points. Cari Callaway scored eight points off the bench while Jasmine Lee scored eight points and added a team high four steals.
Wilmington shot 42.1 percent from the floor but started out hot with a 44.7 percent performance in the first half. Despite only going 1-of-11 from three-point territory, the Wildcats shot 18-of-26 from the foul line to hold off the Golden Falcons.
The Wildcats remain on the road for their next contest, heading to crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom on Tuesday night. The women start the CACC South Division doubleheader with tip-off schedule at 6 p.m.