CHESTER, Pa. (Jan. 18, 2017) – Freshmen
Madison Ireland (Garnet Valley, Pa.) and
Devan Rimmer (Parkasie, Pa.) combined for 30 points and seven assists as the Widener University women's basketball team routed Arcadia by a 78-49 score on Wednesday evening at the Schwartz Center.
After finishing the first quarter with a slim 15-14 advantage, Widener turned on the jets midway through the second frame and broke the game open by scoring 12 unanswered. Sophomore
Emily Hardy (Lewisberry, Pa.) finished a pass from freshman
Kylie Herman (Shillington, Pa.) to spark the outburst and capped the run on a putback to give the Pride a 31-16 lead at the 3:39 mark. The hosts would then get a bucket from Ireland and two free throws from Rimmer to move ahead by a 35-22 score at recess time.
Widener (6-11, MAC Commonwealth 3-5) kept its foot on the gas pedal in the second half with Rimmer leading the charge. The freshman drove in for a layup on the team's first possession, canned a 3-point field goal on the squad's second possession and set up Ireland for a trey on the program's third possession to give the hosts a 43-22 advantage. The lead ballooned up to 30 when Ireland finished an old-fashioned 3-point play to make it 55-25 with 4:55 on the clock, and
Nikki Petri (Congers, N.Y.) nailed a jumper ahead of the buzzer to give the Pride a 61-29 cushion at the end of the third and more than enough insurance to run away with their second straight victory.
Rimmer fell just shy of a double-double for Widener by scoring 17 points and pulling down nine boards. She also contributed three assists and two steals. Ireland finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, which included going 2-of-3 from long range, and 1-of-1 at the stripe while also providing six rebounds, four helpers and two swipes. Junior
Allison Gallagher (Souderton, Pa.), Hardy and Petri added 12 points apiece.
Arcadia (6-11, MAC Commonwealth 2-6) was led by Imani Alston's 10-point effort. Susan Bossler netted eight points, while Olivia Roseman grabbed a team-best five boards.
Widener will look to keep its positive momentum going when it hosts reigning champion Albright on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m.
