WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Nicole Barnes came up with a steal and two clutch free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal a 68-67 win against the Lycoming Warriors, securing the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Pride earns a First Round by and makes a return trip to Lycoming for a conference championship semifinal on Wednesday, February 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
"It was a great defensive play by Nicole and two huge free throws that allowed us to pull out a close victory," said head coach Alisa Kintner. "Heading back to Lycoming on Wednesday with this win allows us to go in with some confidence."
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Devan Rimmer led Widener in scoring with 23, her 12th game this season with 20 or more, giving her 500 points for the season. She ends the regular season leading the MAC Commonwealth in scoring at 20.0 points per game.
• Erin Phelan tallied 13 for the Pride, nine of them coming in a four minute stretch in the final period.
• Kyra Schenk filled the state sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
• Phelan and Barnes led the way with six boards each. Barnes matched her career-best with four steals.
• Madison Ireland dished eight assists.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A seemingly comfortable 56-45 lead for the Blue and Gold entering the fourth quarter was erased in short order as a pair of missed layups and two turnovers, combined with 4-for-5 shooting from the Warriors cut Widener's lead to a single point in just more than two minutes.
• From there, Phelan put WU on her back, scoring nine straight points in the next four minutes, pushing the edge back to 65-55 with 4:06 to go.
• Lycoming went back on the attack, chipping into the lead and eventually chopping the score back to 65-64 on a three-pointer with 13 seconds left.
• After an LC foul, Rimmer made one-of-two at the line, pushing the edge to 66-64. The Warriors looked primed for a repeat of the game in Chester on December 15, but Barnes stripped Becca Painter of the ball coming out of a timeout and sank her free throws to allow the Pride to escape with the win.
• Widener got out to a strong start, holding a 23-13 at the end of the first quarter. Hot shooting keyed the attack as the Pride connected on nearly 53 percent of its shots and held a 13-8 edge on the glass. Devan Rimmer led the way with eight points while Kyra Schenk had six.
• The pace slowed in the second period as neither team shot particularly well. Widener was able to force five Warriors turnovers in the frame, leading to an extra bucket and a 36-23 lead at the half.
• A highly offensively played third quarter left the Pride leading by 11 heading into the final 10 minutes.