GRANTHAM, Pa. – Playing in its first MAC Commonwealth championship finals since 2012, the Widener University women's basketball team gave the No. 11 Messiah Falcons all they could handle, before eventually falling 60-45 on Thursday night.
BY THE NUMBERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Widener scored the first two points of the game, Messiah went on a quick run to go up 6-2. The Pride battled back, taking a quick 7-6 lead before weather a second Messiah run, eventually puling back to 14-11 at the end of the first period.
The game looked like it started to get away from the Blue and Gold late in the second as a layup from the Falcons with 3:26 left made if 24-15. Widener responded as a three from D'Ambrosio and back-to-back layups by Schenk cut the lead to two before a three before half put Messiah up 27-22 at intermission.
Widener hung close in the opening stages of the third period as a jumper by Schenk at the 5:25 mark got the Pride back to 33-27, but the Falcons ended the period on a 9-4 run and held a 42-31 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the contest. An even fourth quarter followed with alternating stretches of good shot making and strong, hard-nosed defense.
PERSPECTIVE
- Widener's senior class of Schenk, Izzy Hamlin, and Mack McCracken finish their careers 61-31, a .663 winning percentage.
- Schenk finishes second on the all-time block list for the Blue and Gold with 134. She moved into seventh place on the rebounding charts, finishing with 669.
- The Pride advanced to the postseason for a third consecutive year.
