CHESTER, Pa. - Widener Women's basketball battle past Alvernia in a hard-fought 61–54 semifinal victory to advance to the MAC Commonwealth Championship game. 

The Pride improve to 21-5 overall and 11-3 in conference play. 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• Avalynn Baer led Widener with 14 points and eight rebounds, adding a block while shooting 5-of-8 from the field in 34 minutes. 

• Riley Stackhouse followed with 13 points, knocking down a three-pointer and adding three steals while playing all 40 minutes. 

• Liliana Metrick and Giada Palmieri each provided 10 points off the bench, with Metrick going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line and Palmieri adding seven rebounds and three steals. 

• Lindsay Kutz controlled the glass with a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with six points and three assists. 

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• Widener battled through a slow start to take control late in the opening quarter, leading 16-8 after the first 10 minutes. The Pride settled in defensively after allowing the game's first basket, forcing multiple turnovers and converting them into transition opportunities. Stackhouse sparked the offense with a fastbreak layup and later knocked down a three-pointer to give Widener the lead for good at 9-6. Kimberly Casiello added a layup, while Metrick and Palmieri each scored in the final minute to cap an 8-0 run and give the Pride an eight-point cushion heading into the second. 

• Alvernia stormed back in the second quarter, using a 9-0 run midway through the period to erase Widener's early 10-point cushion and tie the game at 19-19 with just under four minutes to play. The Golden Wolves briefly took their first lead of the afternoon on a three-pointer, but the Pride answered down the stretch. Metrick knocked down a jumper to spark the response, and Palmieri converted a pair of free throws to put Widener back in front. After a late three was hit for Alvernia, Metrick finished a layup to tie the game before Baer scored inside in the final minute, sending Widener into halftime with a 27-25 lead. 

• Alvernia came out of the halftime break with momentum, opening the third quarter on a quick 4-0 run to take a 29-27 lead and forcing Widener to play from behind. The teams traded baskets throughout the period, with Baer and Kutz answering inside to keep the Pride within striking distance. A Stackhouse fastbreak layup, a pair of Baer free throws, and a Jayla Daniels layup helped Widener tie the game at 40-40 with just over a minute to play, but the Golden Wolves closed the quarter on a 6-0 burst, capped by back-to-back layups, to take a 46-40 advantage into the final frame. 

• Alvernia extended its lead to eight early in the fourth, but Widener quickly shifted the momentum, using defensive pressure to take control. Palmieri scored back-to-back layups to give the Pride their first lead at 50-49, while Stackhouse and Baer added key baskets to build the advantage. Metrick sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final minute, and despite a late Alvernia three, Widener closed out a 61-54 victory. 

UP NEXT 

The Pride will play in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game against Messiah University on Saturday, February 28, at 3 p.m. in Grantham, Pa.