Press Release Written by Sports Information Graduate Intern Mary Kate Rumbaugh
NEWARK, Del. – With a shorthanded bench, the Wilmington University women's basketball team could not keep up with Jefferson, falling in the South Division Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchup, 84-71, Wednesday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
With just six players, the Wildcats (4-19, 4-11 CACC) needed some extra momentum to keep up with the Rams' (12-11, 8-6 C ACC) offense, but would only score a combined 29 points throughout the first two quarters.
Junior forward Sabreen Muslim would get the Wildcats off to a good start, scoring the first bucket of the game, but WilmU would hold the lead for only 51 seconds before Jefferson scored four consecutive points off two Wildcat turnovers to take the lead for good. Jadyn Whitsitt would give Wilmington one more point on a foul shot with 6:54 to play in the first, but the Rams would go on a 7-0 run to bring their lead to as large as 10, before finishing the quarter with a 22-15 lead.
The Rams would open the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, but the Wildcats would try to continue to chip away at the deficit, getting within nine with 5:49 to play. Jefferson would not let up though, draining three more consecutive three-pointers to help start a 14-2 run to extend the lead to 21.
The Rams would open the new half jumping out to their largest lead of the contest of 27 with 2:46 to play in the third, before Wilmington could bring it to a 68-46 contest heading into the final quarter.
The Wildcats would begin the fourth quarter with a hot start, going on a 14-2 run, which included nine points from LaShyra Williams to cut the deficit to 10 with 5:53 to go. The Rams would answer right back though, as they jumped back out to a 19-point lead, before WilmU could cut it back to 13 to end the game. The Wildcats outscored the Rams in the final quarter, 25-16, shooting 60 percent from the floor.
LaShyra Williams led the Wildcats with 24 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, as Sabreen Muslim was one rebound away from her fourth double-double as she finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Emily Ansah would add 12 points and five rebounds, as Jadyn Whitsitt chipped in with 10 points and five assists.
Wilmington will be back on the court this Saturday at the Complex when Concordia comes to Newark for a cross-division matchup. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.
