Press Release written by Mitchell Coll
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - Thomas Jefferson ran away with the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener, 74-37, over the Wilmington University women's basketball team on Wednesday night at the Gallagher Athletic Center. The Rams opened up with a 17-2 run in the first quarter, proving to be a deficit too steep to climb.
The Wildcats (0-4, 0-1 CACC) outrebounded the Rams (5-2, 1-0 CACC), 43-38, but suffered from the defensive pressure of the Rams who scored 22 points off of 24 Wildcats turnovers. The 43 total team rebounds were one shy of their season-high of 44 against Bowie State on November 21.
In terms of season highs, the Wildcats turned their defense into offense for a season-high in points off turnovers, capitalizing on 14 points off of 14 Rams turnovers. Leading the charge was Amaja Mack who stole the ball four times while coming off the bench.
The Rams took a 19-4 lead after the first quarter and then went on to shoot 9-of-15 from the floor (60 percent) in the second quarter to score 24 more points and take a 43-13 lead into the halftime break.
The Wildcats outscored the Rams in the fourth quarter, 16-14. Daja Claiborne led the Wildcats in the box score with a double-double, adding 10 points and 10 assists in the contest. Six of her ten points came in the fourth. Her 10 rebounds match her season-high of 10 boards against Franklin Pierce on November 14.
Joining Claiborne on this glass was senior center Sabreem Muslim and freshman Jade Roberts both with seven boards. They both also scored six points for the Wildcats going a combined 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
The next matchup for the 'Cats will be another conference battle against Holy Family at the WU Athletics Complex on Saturday, set for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off. This will be the first home matchup for the Wildcats since February 29, 2020.