LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - - In its season opener on Saturday, the Wilmington University women's basketball team dropped an 82-74 decision on the road at Lock Haven inside Thomas Fieldhouse.

Sophomore Tenicia Spence put in a layup with 7:23 remaining in the second half to put the Wildcats (0-1 overall) up by six, but Lock Haven (1-0) responded with a 9-1 run to take the lead for good in the contest.

Trailing 47-41 with 14:35 remaining in the second half, the Wildcats used an 11-4 run to grab the lead, 52-51 with 11:30 to play, with the Wildcats grabbing the lead on a Spence layup. Back to back layups by sophomore Tiaja Harrold and Spence gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the second half at 63-57 with 7:23 remaining but Lock Haven came back to steal the home win.

Lock Haven tied the match at 64-64 with 5:44 to play before taking the lead for good with a jumper by Kelsey Ryan at the 5:39 mark to put Lock Haven ahead, 66-64. Lock Haven extended the lead to as many as 10 points in the remainder of the game before settling for the eight point victory.

Spence led all student-athletes with 27 points on Saturday, shooting 10-for-24 from the floor and adding 6-for-8 from the foul line. She also tied with teammate Harrold for the team lead with three steals.

Junior transfer Theresa Mitchell added 17 points for the Wildcats while junior forward Tashea Plummer was the final Wildcat to record double figures with 12 points. Plummer added a double-double for the Wildcats, collecting 10 rebounds in the contest as well.

Lock Haven had four players in double digits for scoring, led by Emily Daugherty with 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field.

The Wildcats have a week off to prepare for Bloomsburg in their home opener next Saturday. The match at the WU Athletics Complex is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.