BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - - All five starters and one reserve reached double figures for the Wilmington University women's basketball team as they took down Concordia, 82-73, in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference cross-divisional action at the Meyer Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
The win evens the Wildcats' record in conference play to 6-6, while raising their overall record to 9-12 on the season. The third quarter is where the Wildcats made their mark on the Clippers (4-16, 4-8 CACC), outscoring them 29-19 to take a 68-54 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Clippers put on a run in the fourth quarter to close to as few as four points with less than two minutes to play, but the Wildcats held on down the stretch to seal the victory.
After an even first quarter in which the teams were tied, 17-17, the Clippers went ahead, 33-29, before the Wildcats opened up the pace in the final three minutes. Macy Robinson started the run with a steal and fastbreak layup, followed by a Jasmine Lee runner, two free throws from Karena Purnell, another Lee layup, and an Emma Matthews putback at the buzzer to finish the quarter on a 10-2 run. They went into the locker room with a 39-35 lead.
The Wildcats' run continued to start the third quarter, as they opened play on another 10-3 spurt to grab a double digit lead, 49-38. The advantage hovered between eight and 10 points for the majority of the third quarter before Jocelyn Rodriguez put the Wildcats up, 68-54, with two free throws to close out the frame.
Matthews gave the visitors their largest lead of the afternoon with a three-pointer, 73-54, with 7:03 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter. But the Clippers would not roll over, as they made a comeback of their own. A 15-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws with 1:51 remaining in regulation, brought the Clippers to with 75-71. But the Wildcats resumed control in going 4-of-5 from the foul line and milked the clock to seal the victory.
Robinson led the six Wildcats in double digits with 16 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. LaShyra Williams scored 13 points while adding a team best nine rebounds and Ebonee Dixon chipped in with 14 points and four boards. Rodriguez finished with 10 points but also added eight rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Jamiere Jefferies rounded out the starters with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Jasmine Lee came off the bench to score 10 points as well, marking six Wildcats with 10 or more points.
The Wildcats went 23-of-25 from the foul line on Saturday, as compared to the Clippers' 17-of-25 mark from the charity stripe. The Wildcats shot 41.2 percent from the floor while the Clippers hit on 37.9 percent of their shots.
The Wildcats return home for their next three CACC contests, starting with a South Division matchup against Georgian Court on Wednesday night. The women will kickstart the doubleheader with their game at 6:00 p.m.