FREDERICK, Md. – First year Lindsay Kutz of women's basketball got the Pride rolling for 2023 with 21 points and a victory against Hood on Saturday afternoon.
 
Following the 76-66 victory, the Pride move to 2-9 in regular season play and 2-3 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• First year Linday Kutz earned a double-double while leading the Pride with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
• Teammate Mia Robbins followed close behind with 19 points.
• Rachel Ludwig contributed eight points from the bench.
• Defensively, the Pride caused seven steals and four blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED AT VOLPE ATHLETIC CENTER
 
The Pride jumped to a quick 6-0 run two minutes into the first quarter with Jordan D'Ambrosio scoring off an Avalynn Baer steal. The Blazers find their stride and cut the lead to two with 3:27 remaining in the first. With 3:27 remaining in the first, a pair of free throws and a layup from Robbins and a field goal from Ludwig send the Pride to a commanding 22-13 lead. In the first quarter, the Pride shot 8 of 16 (50%) from the floor, drained a three pointer, and went 5 of 7 (71.43%) from the free throw line.
 
For the first few minutes the team struggled to find the basket but a jumper from Ludwig ended that drought to bump the lead to four. D'Ambrosio added a pair of free throws with 6:53 remaining in the second. Lele Wright of the Blazers tied the game at 31 with 3:22 on the scoreboard. Going into halftime down 35-39, the Pride looked to shake off the second quarter after only putting up four from the floor and going 9 of 12 (75%) from the line.
 
Coming out of halftime, Widener shot 7 of 12 (58.33%) in field goals, went a perfect 1 of 1 from beyond the arc, and 7 of 12 (58.33%) from the line. Two minutes into the third, the ladies quickly reclaimed the lead after a Ludwig layup to make the score 40-39. Kayla Watkins-Harvey of the Blazers tied the game again with 5:02 remaining but was quickly countered by a Baer jumper and D'Ambrosio layup. With a quarter remaining, the Kutz and company led with a 57-51 score.
 
Kutz opened the scoring gates with four points from four foul shots with 8:02 on the clock. A couple minutes later, Baer pushed the score gap to ten with a layup. The Blazers cut the lead to eight but were quickly met with the Pride offense. A jumper and free throw from Robbins sealed the Pride 76-66 victory after shooting 7 of 12 (58.33%) from the floor and a perfect 5 of 5 from the line. Over the course of 60 minutes, the Blue and Gold earned 36 points in the paint, 17 points off loose Blazers balls, and tipped in seven points from second chances.
 
UP NEXT
Widener returns to Chester, Pa. on Wednesday evening for a MAC Commonwealth matchup against the 6-7 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. following the men's game.