NEWARK, Del. - - Holy Family dialed the clock back on Tuesday night and played as well as when they were dominating the East Region in the 2000's, beating the Wilmington University women's basketball team, 90-57, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division matchup at the WU Athletics Complex.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Wildcats (11-13, 8-7 CACC), but they remained in sole possession of fourth place in the CACC South Division thanks to USciences beating Philadelphia. The win keeps the Tigers' (7-17, 6-10 CACC) slim playoff hopes alive, needing to win their final three games and receive help.
The Tigers came out of the gates shooting well, finishing the game 35-of-60 (58.3 percent) from the floor while assisting on 22 of their made field goals. At the other end, the Wildcats couldn't get the ball to drop on their home rims, shooting just 22-of-70 (31.4 percent) for the game and only 1-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc.
It was a rough start for the Wildcats, as they only shot 3-of-17 from the floor in the first quarter, falling behind 16-6 after 10 minutes of play. The ball started to drop for the Wildcats in the second quarter, as they closed the gap to as few as seven points on two occasions before heading into the halftime break trailing 34-25.
But the Tigers turned red hot in the third quarter, using a late 15-2 run to extend their lead out to 65-36 in the final minute of the frame. Holy Family ended the quarter shooting 13-of-14 from the floor as a team, including 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc. They outscored the Wildcats, 34-13, in the quarter. The Tigers shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half, including 4-of-8 from deep to close out the Wildcats.
LaShyra Williams was the only Wildcat to reach double figures, scoring 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting. She hit the only three-pointer for the Wildcats, as the team went 1-for-10. Williams also led the team with three steals on the night. Jamiere Jefferies scored eight points and grabbed a team high seven rebounds.
The Wildcats will look to put the loss behind them and get back in the win column when they head to Post on Saturday for a cross-divisional contest. The women will start the CACC doubleheader with a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.
