CHESTER, Pa. (Feb. 20, 2016) – Senior
Ally Ferrucci (Vineland, N.J.) registered a triple-double in her final game as a collegian to propel the Widener University women's basketball team to an 84-55 victory over Hood in the final game of the 2015-16 campaign for both schools on Saturday afternoon at the Schwartz Center.
Hood got off to a quick start and built up an 11-4 lead at the 6:55 mark when Alexis Briscoe finished a pass from Allie Appleby, but Widener came back and rattled off 10 unanswered to regain the lead for good. Ferrucci hit two free throws to give the hosts a 20-17 edge at the end of the first.
Widener (13-12, MAC Commonwealth 6-10) started to break loose shortly before the midway point of the second when senior
Brianna Wylie made a free throw and followed with a layup to spark a 15-0 run. The senior class accounted for all of the scoring during the stretch, as
Sarah Engman (Havertown, Pa.) converted two layups and two free throws and Sutliff made two from the line. Ferrucci set up Wylie to make it 40-24 with just over a minute before the Blazers finally got on the board again, and a charity shot by Engman made it 43-27 at the break.
In the third quarter, the Pride added to their lead with the senior class once again providing the scoring. The four-member senior class combined to net 30 straight points between the second and third frames until sophomore
Allison Gallagher (Souderton, Pa.) canned a jumper off a pass from Ferrucci. Sophomore
Julia Venturelli (Bridgewater, N.J.) then drilled a trey and classmate
Brianna Cullen added a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to give the hosts a commanding 62-35 advantage through 30 minutes of action.
Widener extended its lead up to as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter when Engman made a short jumper to create a 74-40 score. Ferrucci later completed her first career triple-double when she set up Cullen for a jumper with 49 seconds left to make it 84-51 and add additional insurance for the seniors to finish their careers on a high note.
The Pride were led by their entire senior class in their final game of the season. Ferrucci, who will graduate as the program record holder for career assists, finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 helpers in the contest. Engman contributed her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots, while Wylie added 21 points, nine boards and four steals. Sutliff finished with 14 points, which included going 8-for-8 from the line, and six rebounds.
Hood (5-20, MAC Commonwealth 1-15) was paced by Taylor McGaughey and Alexis Andrukat in the losing effort. McGaughey had a team-leading 11 points, while Andrukat fell just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Widener is slated to return nine letterwinners and three starters next season.
