CHESTER, Pa. - Widener stayed composed in a tight contest before pulling away late to secure a 70–54 home win over Eastern University.
The Pride improve to 16-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Giada Palmieri provided a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting, pulling down 8 rebounds, and adding 2 assists in 18 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Widener opened the game with Kutz and Baer scoring the first four points to give the Pride an early 4–0 lead, but after a long scoreless stretch for both sides, Eastern got on the board with a layup to cut it to 4–2 midway through the quarter. Kutz answered again inside to push Widener ahead 6–2. Liliana Metrick's jumper made it 10–3 before back-to-back Eastern threes tightened the score to 10–9, but Kutz sparked a fastbreak layup to restore a 12–9 edge. Eastern responded with a late transition three to tie the game at 12–12, before Palmieri finished a layup in the final seconds to send Widener into the second quarter holding a slim 14–12 advantage.
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The second quarter opened with the game knotted at 14–14 after Eastern connected on an early jumper, but Widener quickly answered at the line and began to build momentum with strong interior play. Baer and Palmieri combined for multiple paint finishes, including a Palmieri fastbreak layup and one followed by Baer that pushed the Pride ahead 22–14. Eastern tried to stay close, but Casiello and Baer continued to score inside to keep Widener in control. Despite a late Eastern three and free throws that trimmed the margin, Palmieri capped the half with a layup in the final seconds, sending Widener into the break holding a 32–25 lead.
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Widener opened the third quarter by extending its lead at the line as Lindsay Kutz split a pair to make it 33–25 and followed with a layup to push the margin to eight. Eastern answered with free throws, but Kutz scored again in the paint off a feed from Baer to make it 35–27, and Riley Stackhouse sparked a fastbreak layup to give the Pride a 37–27 edge. Baer continued to control the paint to stretch the lead to 39–27 before Eastern trimmed the gap. Widener responded with timely baskets from Casiello and Kutz to stay in front, and late free throws by Palmieri and Metrick, followed by a Stackhouse three, sent the Pride into the fourth quarter ahead 52–42.
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Eastern opened the fourth quarter with a push in the paint, cutting Widener's lead from 12 to six to make it 54–48. With the Eagles threatening, Metrick knocked down a key three off a Palmieri assist to steady the Pride, but Eastern stayed within striking distance, trimming it to 59–54 with just over two minutes left. Widener answered at the free-throw line as Casiello went 2-for-2, then Kutz converted a layup off a Stackhouse assist to stretch the margin back to nine. Down the stretch, the Pride sealed the win with defense and composure, forcing turnovers and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line in the final two minutes, highlighted by Jayla Daniels' pair and four straight from Casiello, before Kutz capped the night with a fastbreak layup in the closing seconds to secure the 70–54 victory.
UP NEXT
The Pride hit the road on Saturday, February 7, as they take on Messiah University in Grantham, Pa. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
