The lead changed hands six times in the second half but it was Nyack who held on for the 82-75 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over the Wilmington University women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
Down two at the halftime break, the Wildcats (4-15, 2-9 CACC) opened the second half with a 9-4 run to take a three-point lead as the game then went back and forth throughout the rest of the game. Nyack's (2-15, 2-9 CACC) Raven Makins collected a double-double to help snap a 13-game losing streak for the Warriors.
The Warriors held a 10-point lead with 3:40 to play in the first half before the Wildcats rattled off a 10-0 run to tie the game with 1:32 showing on the scoreboard. Jasmine Lee tied the game for the third time in the first half before the Warriors' Alyssa Gatti hit a foul line jumper at the buzzer to send Nyack into the break with a two-point lead.
Trailing 42-39 after the break, the Wildcats scored six straight on the strength of a Zameria Jones layup, a Jennifer Carr jumper, and a Katara Pressley fastbreak layup to take a 45-42 lead with 17:15 to play in regulation.
Jones regained the lead for the Wildcats with another layup at the 11:06 mark, 55-54, before the teams went on the seesaw. The lead would change hands two more times as well as be tied for the sixth time in the contest, knotted at 58-58 with 9:36 to play.
Now down six, the Wildcats battled back to tie the game, 66-66, on a pair of free throws by Carr with 5:09 remaining in the game. The Wildcats could never get back over the hump however, as the Warriors always had the answer down the stretch. A 12-4 Warrior run pushed the visitors lead out to 78-70 with 1:48 to play before taking a double digit lead with 16 seconds left. A Taylor Carter three-pointer in the final seconds settled the final score, 82-75.
Jones led four Wildcats in double figures with 16 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor. Ebonee Dixon came off the bench to score 13 points while Carter and Lee added 10 points each. Lindsay Bradford score eight points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench, while aiding the defense with six blocked shots in the contest.
The teams each made 28 field goals in the game and the Warriors went 7-of-21 from beyond the three-point arc, with all seven makes coming in the first half. The Wildcats shot 46.7 percent from the field while the Warriors shot 41.2 percent. Nyack went 19-of-30 from the foul line while the Wildcats went 16-of-28.
The Wildcats take to the road for their next three contests, traveling to CACC South Division rival Chestnut Hill on Tuesday night. The women start the CACC doubleheader with a 6 p.m. tip-off in Philadelphia.
