Game Info: Thursday, November 14 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Schwartz Center - Chester, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WUWBB
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Opening Tip
The Widener University women's basketball team plays its home opener when it hosts the Salisbury Sea Gulls on Thursday, November 14. Tipoff from the Schwartz Center is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Pride saw a double-digit halftime lead cut to a single point in the fourth quarter, but some clutch play down the stretch allowed the Pride to come away with a 72-69 win against the Mary Washington Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
"It was a physical game by both teams. I thought we kept our composure when it mattered," said head coach
Alisa Kintner. "
Devan Rimmer showed her senior leadership in the last two minutes and put the team on her back and hit some big shots."
The Pride got out of the gate well and took an 8-2 lead less than three minutes in. Mary Washington scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a brief lead with a minute to go, but Widener responded with four in a row to end the frame, holding a 16-13 lead. The second quarter saw the Blue and Gold extend the advantage to as many as 16 before taking a 39-25 lead into halftime.
A high scoring third quarter ensued with the Pride holding the Eagles at arm's length, carrying a 58-46 lead into the final 10 minutes. UMW began chopping into the Widener lead immediately as the final period began, scoring the first 11 points, pulling to 58-57 less than three minutes in. From there, Rimmer took over, scoring 10 of the final 14 points for WU including a pair of three's as the Pride never relinquished the lead.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Rimmer led all scorers with 22 points on the day, connecting on 7-of-11 shots overall and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
- Erin Phelan chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds, also hitting a pair of free throws with four seconds left that helped seal the win.
- Kyra Schenk added nine points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.
- As a team, the Pride hit 16-of-20 from the line and were 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.
Scouting Report
Salisbury comes into the game 1-1 overall, most recently downing Virginia Wesleyan 59-46 on Tuesday. In its first game of the year, the Sea Gulls lost to Muhlenberg 80-66.
Sophomore Katie Otlowski leads SU in scoring through two games at 13.0 an outing after netting 7.7 a contest last season. She tallied 14 against the Marlins. Joining Otlowski in double figurs through two games this year are Lauren Fortescue (11.0), Catherine Gibson (11.0), and Amber Onyekwere (10.5). Gibson is pulling down 10.0 rebounds a night and Onyekwere is dishing 3.5 assists a contest.
Kelly Baskow is in her ninth season as the head coach at Salisbury with a record of 135-83. Her best mark came in 2014-15 when she guided the team to the Elite 8, finishing with a 28-3 record.
Props
Devan Rimmer was named the MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week for the opening week of the season, averaging 19.0 points and shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
A Capital Idea
Widener opens the season with three straight games against team from the Capital Athletic Confererence, taking on St. Mary's (Md.), Mary Washington, and Salisbury.
Early Expectations
Widener was selected as the preseason favorite to win the MAC Commonwealth according to the preseason coaches poll as announced by the league on October 31. The top three teams were separated by just three points as the Pride garnered 57 points, Messiah had 55, and Lycoming earned 54. The full poll appears on the right.
20/20 Vision
The Pride went 20-8 last season, just the second 20-win year in program history. WU posted a 24-6 record in 2012-13 on its way to a Sweet 16 appearance.
A Chance To Build (Part I)
14 players return for the Blue and Gold this season including three All-Conference performers and four starters.
Devan Rimmer was First Team MAC Commonwealth,
Madison Ireland garnered Second Team honors, and
Erin Phelan was the conference Rookie of the Year and Honorable Mention MAC Commonwealth. Those three are joined by fellow starter Mack McCracken and
Kyra Schenk in the projected starting lineup. Schenk has plenty of experience, appearing in all 53 possible games in her career, starting 23 as a freshman.
A Chance To Build (Part II)
Widener can work towards sustained success as a program as the Pride has a chance to have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2012-14.
Up Next
The Pride makes the short trip up Route 320 to take on Swarthmore on Wednesday, November 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
