CHESTER, Pa. — The Widener University women's basketball team won its first home conference playoff game in 37 years by downing seventh-seeded Eastern, 73-58, on Wednesday night in the MAC Commonwealth quarterfinals at Schwartz athletic Center.
This victory gave the Pride their first home postseason win in a conference tournament since 1985, when they earned a 60-54 win over former MAC member Muhlenberg. More importantly, it sent the second-seeded Pride to the MAC Commonwealth semifinals for the third time in four years.
The Blue and Gold also extended their winning streak to 10 straight games and improved to 18-6 on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST EASTERN
- Widener grabbed a 21-16 lead through the first quarter, then pulled away from the Eagles in the second after outscoring them, 23-11, to take a 44-27 halftime lead that they would not relinquish.
- Jordan D'Ambrosio led the Pride with 19 points, 10 of which came in the first half. Mary McFillin was hot behind the arc, making five three-pointers and finishing the night with 17 points. Brooke Bachtle chipped in 15 points as well for Widener, with 11 of them coming in the first half.
- The Pride played stout defense, forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over 24 times and scoring 20 points off those turnovers. The Pride tallied 12 steals, with Erin Phelan leading the way with four steals.
- By scoring 73 points, the Pride still has the No. 1 ranked offense in the MAC Commonwealth, as they increased their average to 68.9 points per game. It also marked the sixth game in a row that the Pride scored 70 or more points.
UP NEXT
The Pride will host third-seeded York in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament semifinals on Friday night. A win would put the Pride in the conference championship game for the second year in a row and 11th time in program history. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
