NEWARK, Del. - - The 19th ranked and reigning NCAA East Region Tournament Champion Stonehill College was too much for the Wilmington University women's basketball team in the 2018-19 season opener, falling 92-39, in the second game of the Tip-Off Classic on Friday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
The Wildcats (0-1) had trouble finding easy shots on Friday night, shooting 23.1 percent from the floor while only hitting two three-pointers. The Skyhawks (1-0) shot 48.5 percent from the floor and made 12 three-pointers along the way. They also out-rebounded the Wildcats, 58-22.
Macy Robinson tied the game, 5-5, with a three-pointer, but the Wildcats didn't score again for the next 3:18 of game action and didn't hit another shot from the field for the rest of the quarter. Jaelyn Durrett and three Nyree Grant free throws were all Wilmington could score as the Skyhawks went on to outscore the Wildcats, 18-4, from when it was tied.
Newcomer Kiara Eubanks and Jadyn Whitsitt would hit back-to-back layups to bring the game to within 10, 23-13, in the early going of the second quarter. But the Skyhawks extended their lead with a 12-1 spurt en route to a 27-6 run through the second quarter. They took a 52-23 lead into the halftime break.
The Skyhawks scored the first 12 points of the third quarter as well and the lead grew to as large as 53 points in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats were led by Whitsitt's 11 points n 4-of-r8 shooting, grabbing a team co-leading five rebounds as well. Nyree Grant scored nine points to go with five rebounds, with seven of her points coming from the foul line. Eubanks chipped in with six points in the Wildcats debut.
The Skyhawks has 12 players score in the game, led by Grace Carter's game high 20 points. She went 6-of-9 from three-point territory in the contest. Kayla Raymond added 15 points while Jennifer Worden led the way with 12 rebounds off the bench to go with eight assists and eight points.
In the first game of the Tip-Off Classic on Friday, Holy Family defeated the District of Columbia, 88-42. The Tigers were led by Katie O'Hare and Molly Masciantonio who scored 20 points each.
The Wildcats and the District of Columbia face off in the final contest of the Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Complex. The tip is scheduled for approximately 2:00 p.m.
