Copyright 2016; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. File photo of Jasmine Lee, who led the Wildcats with 17 points off the bench on Saturday, taken by Frank Stallworth.
ETTRICK, Va. - - Virginia State controlled the offensive glass over the Wilmington University women's basketball team, leading to 14 more shots and a 69-60 nonconference victory over the Wilmington University women's basketball team to close out the Thanksgiving Classic.
The Trojans (4-1) gathered 17 offensive rebounds that led to 20-second chance points on the afternoon. The Wildcats (2-4) shot much better than the Trojans, 47.7 percent to 36.2 percent, for the game, but also turned the ball over nine more times than the Trojans in the contest. Virginia State went 8-of-17 from beyond the arc compared to just 3-of-7 from the Wildcats.
Jasmine Lee converted a steal and a fast-break layup midway through the second quarter to bring the Wildcats to with 22-21, but the Trojans ended the second quarter on a 13-4 run to head into the halftime break leading 35-25.
Ebonee Dixon finished off an old fashioned three-point play before Lee scored another steal and fast-break layup to bring the Wildcats to within 41-39 with 4:57 left. LaShyra Williams put in a pair from the foul line with 1:55 left to again get within two points at 46-44, but the Trojans again closed out a quarter on a good note, finishing with a 7-0 spurt to lead 53-44 after three quarters.
The Trojans continued the run to begin the fourth quarter, hitting a three-pointer on their first possession to take their largest lead of the game, 56-44. A 6-0 run capped by a Nyree Grant layup brought the Wildcats to within 56-50, but the Trojans again pushed the margin back out to 12 points with 2:27 left in regulation.
Williams sparked one final push for the Wildcats with an old fashioned three-point play before Emma Matthews hit a three-pointer to narrow the margin to 66-60 with exactly 1:00 minute to play. But that was as close as the Wildcats would get before settling on the 69-60 final.
Lee came off the bench to lead the Wildcats with 17 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line. She also collected a team-high three steals. Dixon shot 7-of-10 to score 15 points while Williams was the final Wildcat in double digits with 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Grant grabbed six defensive rebounds to lead the team.
The Wildcats return home for their next contest, squaring off against Bowie State on Wednesday night to kick-off a Wildcat doubleheader at the WU Athletics Complex. The women open the nonconference doubleheader at 6:00 p.m.