Game Info: Tuesday, December 17 | Wednesday, December 18 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Miami, Fla.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WUWBB
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Opening Tip
The No. 24 Widener University women's basketball team closes the 2019 portion of its schedule at the HoopMIA D3 Holiday Shootout in Miami, Fla., taking on the Washington (Md.) Shorewomen and the Ursinus Bears on December 17 and 18. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 4:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - Stunning Comeback Allows @WUWBB to Remain Perfect on the Season
Trailing by 13 points midway through the third quarter, the Pride 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.
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.
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.
Into The Rankings
For the first time since the 2012-13 season, the Widener women's basketball team has cracked the top-25, coming in at No. 24 in the D3hoops.com poll for the week ending December 15.
Scouting Report - Washington Shorewomen
Washington enters play 6-3 overall following a 53-31 setback against Eastern Connecticut State on the opening day of the Holiday Shootout. At 3-2 in conference play, the Shorewomen have exceeded expectations in the early going, as they were picked ninth of 11 teams in the Centennial Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Caitlyn Clark tops the offense for Washington with 11.8 points per game. Coming off the bench, Emilee Cramer nets 9.8 a night. Cassidy Quattro and Bridget McLaughlin are scoring 7.9 and 7.6 a contest respectively. Quattro and Taylor Samuels grab 4.8 rebounds per outing to lead the squad with Clark dishing 2.4 assists a game.
Defense has been the calling card for the Shorewomen through the first third of the season, as they are surrendering just 51.9 points per game, are +7.4 in turnover margin, and have held three teams under 50 points. The glass has been an issue for a team that is pulling in just 35.6 boards a contest and is -6.0 in rebounding margin.
Alisha Mosley is in her seventh season at Washington with a record of 49-108.
Scouting Report - Ursinus Bears
Ursinus comes into Wednesday's game 5-3 overall and 4-1 in conference following a 79-64 win against McDaniel on December 7. The Bears were picked fourth in the Centennial Preseason Coaches' Poll and received one first place vote.
Lydia Konstanzer and Aliyah Stephens form a potent duo to lead the offense, averaging 16.5 an 16.3 points per game respectively, combining to shoot 49.8 percent from the floor. Maya Kornfield provides a strong third option, tallying 13.1 a night. Konstanzer is pulling down 7.4 rebounds a game while Kornfield delivers 3.4 dimes a contest.
Ursinus' record is somewhat deceiving. The three losses the Bears suffered have come to teams that are a combined 24-2 on the season (Albright - 10-0; Scranton - 7-0; Haverford - 7-2).
In her third season, Margaret White has a record of 59-52 with Ursinus.
Fresh Faces
It's been a while since the Blue and Gold faced either Washington or Ursinus. Widener battled the Shorewomen five years in a row from the 1995-96 through the 1999-2000 seasons, but have not played Washington since a 77-55 victory on January 7, 2005 in a tournament at Gettysburg. The Pride played Ursinus more recently as the two last tangled on January 5, 2008, a 67-52 setback for Widener.
Valuing The Ball
Widener committed just nine turnovers against Lycoming on Saturday, its best mark since giving the ball up just eight times in back-to-back games against Albright and Hood on January 23 and 26, 2019.
Passing Lane
Both
Devan Rimmer and
Madison Ireland climbed Widener career lists on Saturday against Lycoming. Rimmer moved into sixth place on the all-time scoring list for the Blue and Gold, now sitting at 1,342. She needs just three points to pass Allison Gallagher (2014-18) for fifth and 18 to advance past Joyce Johnson (1995-99) for fourth. Ireland had eight assists on Saturday, tying her with Lil Carney (2009-13) for the second spot on the Widener career chart with 480 dimes.
Downing Them From Distance
Widener has capitalized on its three-point shots this season, connecting at a 40.6 percent clip from beyond the arc, the fourth best mark in the country. It has been a team effort for the Pride as no individual student-athlete even resides in the top-40 in three-point percentage.
30-30 Vision
Erin Phelan and
Devan Rimmer became the first pair of Widener teammates in more than 15 years to both hit the 30 point mark in the same game when both reached the mark against Alvernia. For Rimmer, it was her fourth 30+ point game and the first such career contest for Phelan.
Up Next
The Pride returns to action in the new year when it hosts No. 5/4 Amherst in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, January 4, 2020. Tipoff from the Schwartz Center is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
