ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2016) – Freshman Devan Rimmer (Perkasie, Pa.) registered her first career double-double in leading the Widener University women's basketball team to a 71-52 victory over Lawrence in the opening game of the St. Pete Classic for both programs on Saturday afternoon.

After a tight first quarter which featured five lead swings and ended in a 15-15 tie, Widener (4-6) pulled away late in the second by ending the half on a 15-2 run. Freshman Angelica Borja (Somerville, N.J.) found junior Allison Gallagher (Souderton, Pa.) for a 3-pointer to make it 28-24 and spark a streak of eight unanswered before freshman Madison Ireland (Garnet Valley, Pa.) closed out the frame by sinking two shots at the charity stripe in the waning seconds to give the Pride a comfortable 40-26 advantage at the break.
 
Lawrence tried to chip away at the deficit and came within 10 when Natalie Kramer made a trifecta at the 7:03 mark, but Widener responded by embarking on a 10-1 run and not allowing its opponent to convert a field goal for nearly seven minutes. Gallagher finished a pass from Julia Venturelli (Bridgewater, N.J.) in the waning seconds to give the Pride a 56-37 lead at the end of the third, providing more than enough insurance for the squad to run away with their second victory over their last three games.
 
Rimmer notched her first double-double by scoring 20 points and corralling a career-high 12 rebounds for Widener. She also shot 8-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from long range, and added two steals. Gallagher contributed 17 points and eight boards to go along with three steals, while Ireland finished with seven points, five rebounds and three swipes.
 
Lawrence (2-5) was paced by Leah Reeves and Olivia Hoesley in the losing effort. Reeves netted a game-high 24 points, and Hoesley recorded 16 points and seven rebounds. Despite failing to score on her four shot attempts, Shonell Benjamin led all players on the glass by grabbing 14 rebounds.
 
Widener wraps up tournament play when it faces St. Norbert tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.