CHESTER, Pa. - The Pride battled Messiah through a tight race from start to finish before dropping a 75–69 result.
The Pride drop to 9-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Lindsay Kutz followed with 16 points, seven rebounds, and one block, logging 38 minutes and shooting 6-of-14 from the floor.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Widener settled in after an early Messiah run, answering with strong transition offense and aggressive defense. Baer got the Pride on the board with a pair of early finishes in the paint, while steals from Kimberly Casiello sparked fast-break opportunities. Kutz added points at the line and in the lane as Widener steadily chipped away, eventually pulling even at 15 behind a layup from Riley Stackhouse. Although Messiah closed the quarter with late three-point shooting, the Pride stayed within striking distance, trailing 23–17 after one.
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The Pride opened the second quarter trailing by five and answered with points at the line, as Baer went 2-for-2 to cut the margin to 24–19. Giada Palmieri followed with a layup to make it a five-point game again, before Baer added a jumper to keep Widener within 28–23 at the midway mark. After Messiah stretched the lead to nine, the Pride responded with a 6–0 run, sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from Liliana Metrick, trimming the deficit to 32–29. Widener then forced consecutive turnovers and tied the game at 32–32 on a fast-break three from Kutz. Messiah closed the half with a late surge, and Widener went into the locker room down 37–32.
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Widener opened the third quarter down 37–32 and quickly cut the lead to 39–34 on a layup from Jayla Daniels. The Pride forced a turnover over the next minute but struggled to convert, keeping the gap at 41–34. Messiah responded with a three to extend their advantage to 44–34, but Widener answered immediately as Kutz hit a jumper to bring the margin to 46–36. Palmieri's layup later trimmed the deficit to 46–38, and a free throw from Palmieri followed by a Metrick jumper made it 48–41, keeping Widener within striking distance. The Pride continued to chip away, with another Palmieri layup closing the quarter at 50–43, leaving Widener still in reach heading into the fourth.
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The Pride entered the fourth down 50–43 and quickly cut into the lead with a jumper from Baer to make it 52–45. The Pride stayed within striking distance as Kutz and Baer added layups and free throws, narrowing the gap to 54–48. Baer and Kutz continued to score, bringing Widener to 60–56, and Palmieri's free throw kept the Pride within 62–57. Midway through the quarter, Daniel's jumper trimmed the deficit to 66–59, followed by Baer converting a layup and free throws to make it 71-64. Despite Widener's late surge, Messiah extended the lead to 73–64, and though Casiello hit a three and Stackhouse added a layup to close the quarter at 75–69, the Pride ultimately fell short in a tightly contested fourth.
UP NEXT
Widener heads to St. David's, Pa. on Wednesday, January 14, to take on Eastern University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
