GLASSBORO, N.J. (Dec. 19, 2015) – In a non-conference battle between two red-hot programs, the Widener University women's basketball team was dealt an 82-72 setback by Rowan on Saturday afternoon at Esby Gym. The Pride had their seven-game winning streak snapped, while the Profs remained undefeated on the young season by registering their 10th straight victory.
 
The first quarter was a seesaw battle with the teams exchanging the lead a jaw-dropping nine times over the first 10 minutes of play. Senior Ally Ferrucci (Vineland, N.J.) registered her sixth assist by setting sophomore Allison Gallagher (Souderton, Pa.) up for a layup that made it 15-14 in favor of the Pride with 3:09 to play, but the Profs ended the frame on a 7-0 run with the Pride bench struggling to score and penetrate a full-court press.
 
Widener (7-2), however, started to claw back in the second quarter as senior Brianna Wylie (Mount Laurel, N.J.) scored four of the first six points in the stanza by sinking two free throws and a layup. After Olivia Rulon sank a 3-pointer for the hosts, senior Nikki Sutliff (Sweet Valley, Pa.) canned a shot from downtown to make it a one-possession game again at 26-24. Gallagher then sank four free throws in a row with the Profs being plagued by fouls to tie it at 28-all by the midway point of the quarter. Despite the comeback effort, the Pride could not overcome the full-court press down the stretch again and found themselves trailing 41-32 at the recess.
 
In the third quarter, Widener came out on fire by exploding for 15 points in less than three minutes. The visitors scored on their first nine possessions and forced the Profs to take a timeout when Ferrucci stole the ball and found Julia Venturelli (Bridgewater, N.J.) for a layup to create a 46-45 score with 7:11 left. The break did not slow down the Pride, as Wylie finished a pass from Ferrucci and then made two free throws to put the visitors up by five with 6:20 on the clock.
 
But after surrendering 19 points in a span of just 3:40, Rowan recovered and was able to regain the lead at 53-52 when Alex Raring recorded a steal and finished at the other end. The Profs went on an 18-4 run and got a buzzer-beating trey from Raring to end the quarter ahead by a 63-54 score.
 
Rowan (10-0) carried over the momentum it gained down the stretch in the third to stay in control throughout the fourth. Summer Crilley sank a shot from beyond the arc to extend the margin to 14 at 69-55, and the Pride never recovered.
 
Ferrucci and Gallagher each registered career highs to lead the way for Widener. Gallagher pulled down 12 rebounds in addition to netting 24 points, while Ferrucci dished out 14 assists to edge out her previous best mark of 12 against Swarthmore earlier this season. Wylie netted 20 points by shooting an efficient 8-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
 
Kate Matthews registered a double-double to pace Rowan, which had a lopsided 33-6 advantage in bench scoring. She had 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with six swipes and five helpers. Melissa Lake drained a team-leading 14 points, while Raring netted 13 in a reserve role.
 
Widener returns to action when it visits Cabrini for a two-day tournament at the end of the month. The Pride will play their first of two straight games against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago when they face the host Cavaliers on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 4:00 p.m.