NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University women's basketball team won the second half but a slow start doomed the Wildcats as Bloomfield took the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory, 75-58, on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
The Wildcats (0-18, 0-7 CACC) won the third quarter, 17-16, and the fourth quarter, 21-20, but the Bears (5-12, 2-6 CACC) held a 14-point lead after the first quarter and a 19-point lead at the halftime break.
Aniyah Bond hit a three-pointer to bring the Wildcats to within 15-10 with 2:30 left in the first quarter, but then the Bears finished out the frame on a 9-0 run, getting a bucket at the buzzer to take a 24-10 lead. Bond scored all 10 points in the quarter for the Wildcats.
The run continued into the second quarter for the Bears, scoring the first seven points to make it a 16-0 run to take a 31-10 lead. Jasmine McDuffie hit a three-pointer to bring the Wildcats to within 34-20 and Mya Nisbet had another open three in the following possession to put the pressure on, but the ball rimmed out. The Bears scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 39-20 lead into halftime.
The Wildcats scored the first five points of the third quarter, getting a jumper in the paint from Bond and a three-pointer from Samiyah McFarlane to drop the deficit to 14 points. Back-to-back buckets from Emma Brown and Armani Bell-Jackson had the Wildcats to within 17 again but the Bears scored the final point of the quarter, taking a 55-37 lead into the fourth.
The Wildcats got as close as 16 points multiple times in the fourth quarter, but the Bears were able to hold off any major comeback by the Wildcats. A 9-0 run brought the Wildcats to within 73-58 with 32 seconds left, getting three-pointers from McDuffie and McFarlane, capping the scoring for the Wildcats.
TyKeisha Hill had seven of her 12 points in the third quarter alone, finishing with a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Aniyah Bond led the team with 15 points while Jasmine McDuffie added 10 points. Mya Nisbet dished out a season-high seven assists, adding five points, five rebounds, and three steals.
The Wildcats are on the road for the midweek game next week, traveling to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday night. The women kickstart the doubleheader with a 6:00 p.m. start inside Sorgenti Arena.
