CHESTER, Pa. – Trailing by 13 points midway through the third quarter, the Widener University women's basketball team went on a 41-20 run in the final 15 minutes, pulling out a 76-68 victory against the Lycoming Warriors in a MAC Commonwealth game on Saturday afternoon. The win moves Widener to 9-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• In the closing stretch, the Pride connected on 14-of-27 shots, holding Lycoming to 7-for-20. WU also forced seven turnovers.
• Devan Rimmer led Widener with 23 points, connecting on 8-of-10 attempts from the line while playing all 40 minutes.
• Erin Phelan was also in double-figures with 14 on 7-for-11 shooting.
• Kyra Schenk, Madison Ireland, and Nicole Barnes each added nine points. Schenk also pulled in a career-high tying 15 rebounds. Ireland had eight assists.
• Brooke Bachtle sparked the comeback off the bench, scoring eight points, all in the third quarter, helping cut the Warriors lead from 13 down to four.
• The Pride had a season-low nine turnovers in the contest and caused 18 Lycoming miscues.

 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

• With her eight assists in the game, Ireland moved into a tie for second place on the Widener all-time list with 480 dimes, equaling Lil Carney (2009-13).
• The Pride matched its best start in the NCAA era (1981 to present), with its 9-0 record.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 48-35 with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter, Bachtle connected on the first of her shots, a three from the right wing. A pair of treys from Barnes helped chop the edge to 50-44. After an old-fashioned three-point play by the Warriors, Bachtle connected for her second triple of the quarter, followed by a steal by Barnes and a jumper by Bachtle, making it 53-49 with 1:10 left in the frame. A make at the line by Barnes closed the period with Widener trailing by just three.
 
Two minutes into the fourth, Lycoming had recovered and extended its lead to seven on a three-pointer from Akilah McFadden. From that juncture, the Pride hit 7-of-10 shots in a closing 21-9 run that spanned the final seven minutes. A jumper by Phelan followed by a defensive stop and transition bucket by Rimmer cut the lead to 62-59. Down 62-61 with under five minutes left, a jumper by Ireland in the paint gave Widener its first lead since the second period. Another defensive stand gave WU the ball and led to a trey from Rimmer at the 3:45 mark. The Warriors battled down the stretch, but four free throws from Rimmer and two from Ireland sealed the win.
 
UP NEXT
Widener has a quick turnaround, playing in the HoopMIA D3 Holiday Shootout in Miami, Fla. The Pride takes on Washington (Md.) College on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. before a Wednesday afternoon contest against Ursinus.