CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2015) – Senior Brianna Wylie (Mount Laurel, N.J.) recorded her second straight double-double and led a balanced scoring attack down the stretch as the Widener University women's basketball team defeated the College of New Jersey by a 59-55 score on Sunday afternoon at DeSales. The Pride held off a late run by the Lions to win the consolation match of the Morgan Stanley Tip-Off Tournament.
 
Widener (1-1) burst ahead by a 12-3 score by getting six points apiece from sophomore Allison Gallagher (Souderton, Pa.) and Wylie and never looked back. Sophomore Julia Venturelli (Bridgewater, N.J.) and Gallagher then canned back-to-back shots from downtown  to start the scoring and keep the Pride rolling in the second quarter with a 20-10 advantage. TCNJ bounced back and closed the gap to 25-23 when Jess Lynch hit a jumper, but Gallagher answered by canning her fifth and sixth trifectas of the half to give the Pride a 31-23 advantage at the break.
 
In the second half, TCNJ continued chipping away at what was initially a double-digit deficit. Katy Amato opened the scoring in the third with a putback layup before hitting a jumper to make it 35-33 at the 2:45 mark. Widener, however, responded with six straight points to close out the quarter by getting layups from senior Ally Ferrucci (Vineland, N.J.), Gallagher and Wylie.
 
Despite being challenged throughout the final period, Widener held off several late Lion comeback attempts by having six players account for 18 points. After sophomore Brianna Cullen (Lansdale, N.Y.) sunk two free throws to make it 43-33, TCNJ stormed back and came within one courtesy of a 3-pointer by Kim Dana that created a 49-48 score with 4:31 left in regulation and set up a photo finish.
 
With the Lions continuing to knock at the door, Wylie came through in the clutch by sinking two free throws and corralling a defensive rebound that resulted in a layup by junior Aly Furgiuele (Norwalk, Conn.) on the other end to push Widener ahead by a 53-48 score. Venturelli then hit a trey with 29 seconds on the clock, and Ferrucci added a free throw to ice the victory for the Pride.
 
Wylie contributed her second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 12 boards and was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. She averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 55.6 percent from the field over the weekend. Gallagher contributed 22 points, while Ferrucci finished with seven points, six assists and three steals.
 
TCNJ (0-2) was led by Angelica Esposito's 16-point effort. She also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Amato registered 11 points off the bench.
 
Widener will play its home opener against crosstown rival Swarthmore on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:00 p.m.