ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Nov. 18, 2016) – Freshman Madison Ireland (Garnet Valley, Pa.) scored 23 points and dished out four assists in leading the Widener University women's basketball team to an 81-73 victory over Bryn Athyn in the opening game of the Scotty Wood Tournament at Muhlenberg's Memorial Hall on Friday afternoon.
 
Widener (1-1) scored the first four points of the game and seized control in the early going. Ireland sank a pair of free throws to make it 8-3 with 7:33 on the clock, but Bryn Athyn came back and was able to tie the match at 12-all when Kristina Clark finished a pass from Hicks. Clark, who notched 10 of the Lions' opening 14 points, led the comeback before Hicks converted two charity shots to give the Lions their first lead at 16-15. A layup by Sarah Elizabeth Atunrase extended the margin to six and helped Bryn Athyn end the first quarter with a 22-19 advantage.
 
Brittany Vick took over in the second quarter and as the Lions built their lead up to eight at 30-22 by draining a 3-pointer and sinking a layup. A basket by Clark then made it a double-digit game with a layup at 6:05. Widener was able to regain the lead when freshman Kylie Herman (Shillington, Pa.) sank a free throw with under a minute remaining, but Bryn Athyn's Allison Warren came back the other way and hit a buzzer-beating layup to give the Lions a one-point edge at the break.
 
Widener went ahead when Ireland nailed a trifecta on the team's opening possession of the third quarter to set up a back-and-forth frame which featured two ties and four lead changes. Hicks and Keana Schoennagle provided a spark for the Lions by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 52-47 before the margin grew to as many as nine. Herman tied the game at 59s by making a layup with eight seconds remaining, but Clark came through this time with a buzzer-beating layup to put Bryn Athyn back ahead by two to conclude the frame.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Pride would not go away and quickly tied the game up when sophomore Emily Hardy (Lewisberry, Pa.) put back a missed shot. Ireland and Hicks then traded 3-pointers to continue the seesaw battle and set the tone for the rest of the game.
 
After three more lead exchanges, Widener was able to earn extra opportunities by outplaying the Lions on the glass and getting to the charity stripe. Sophomore Emma Gardy (Warrington, Pa.) hit a jumper to put the Pride up for good, and Gallagher took a charge with under a minute remaining to prevent the Lions from tying the game or taking the lead. Senior Aly Furgiuele (Norwalk, Conn.) and Ireland then sank free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
 
Ireland filled up the stat sheet to lead the way for Widener. She finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists while committing only two turnovers. Gallagher contributed 18 points, eight boards and three steals, while junior Brianna Cullen (Lansdale, Pa.) finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Bryn Athyn (0-1) was paced by Clark's 32-point outburst. She made 11 of her 17 field goal attempts while also shooting 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Hicks added 14 points and four steals, and Atunrase redirected eight shots.
 
Widener will next face 17th-ranked Muhlenberg, which earned a 78-48 victory over Immaculata later in the day, for the tournament championship tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m.