(boxscore)
Senior Beth Dessart Mager (Newtown Square, PA) scored 16 points for Widener, which used a first-half run and a monster effort on the boards to cruise in a 69-47 triumph over Salisbury at the Optimist Classic in Salisbury, MD.
Widener (3-3) ended the first half on a 20-8 burst over the final 12:43 to grab a 31-19 lead, holding Salisbury (0-7) to just three baskets in the spurt. Sophomore Alex Held (Westminster, MD) and freshman Casey Pritz (Abington, PA) each netted five points in that span.
Dessart Mager scored 10 points in the half, Held poured in seven and junior Rayne Reber (Pottstown, PA) grabbed six rebounds. This helped the Pride shoot 40 percent (12-of-30) in the period and hold the Seagulls to just 28 percent (8-of-29).
Widener, which led by as many as 26 points and never trailed, used a 9-2 spurt to open a 40-23 lead with 16:03 remaining. Reber capped the burst on a 3-pointer after senior Barbara Fleming (Philadelphia, PA) and junior Becky Tyler (Wynnewood, PA) tallied conventional three-point plays.
Dessart Mager continued her strong play and is averaging 13 points in her last four contests. Flemingpoured in 14 points with three 3-pointers, and Pritz ended with 11 points and seven rebounds. Held scored 10 points and Reber had nine and 10 rebounds for the Pride, who grabbed a season-high 53 rebounds that included 21 offensive boards.
Kylie Hall had 13 points and 11 rebounds with Chante McKinney adding 11 points for Salisbury, which shot only 31 percent (18-of-58) from the floor.
Widener on Saturday returns to the court against York (NY), beginning at 1:00 pm.
