(BALTIMORE) – A back-and-forth contest between Wilson and Notre Dame went the way of the home team as the Gators used a late push to defeat the Phoenix. Neither team led by double-digits throughout the game, but a late 13-0 run by the Gators helped them pull ahead for the win.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 57, Notre Dame 66
Venue: MBK Athletic Complex
Records: Wilson 6-12, 5-4 UE; Notre Dame 8-11, 6-4 UE
How It Happened
- All throughout the game, each time it looked like one team would pull ahead, the other countered in a big way. The first such occurrence came in the first as a 3-pointer by NDMU made it 15-10 with 3:13 left in the frame. Wilson was able to answer with shots from downtown as well with Allie Cullison (Sr., Westminster, Md. / Winters Mill / Kean) and Laela Robinson (Sr., Lancaster, Pa. / Conestoga Valley) making treys to take the lead their next two trips down the floor. The Gators eventually pulled out to a seven-point lead before a pair of Chelcie Forrester (Jr., Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg / WVU Potomac State) free throws made it 34-29 at the break.
- Notre Dame pulled out to an eight point lead before Wilson went on its largest run of the game in the third. A Jewels Torres (Jr., York, Pa. / West York) layup led to a Chloe Irving (FY, Martinsburg, W.Va. / Martinsburg) layup to make it 40-34. Irving followed with a steal which resulted in triple by Robinson to get the Phoenix within three. After a Gators 3-pointer, Wilson took the lead on a Kailee Soto (FY, Lancaster, Pa. / Columbia) jumper, a pair of Irving free throws, a free throw by Leah Laubach (FY, Marietta, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic), and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Laubach to take a 44-43 lead into the fourth.
- Wilson stayed in front until the middle of the fourth. Cullison hit a jumper on a dish from Torres to make it 55-51 before the Gators went on their large run. Most of their damage was done at the free throw line where 12 of their last 15 points.
Inside The Numbers
- Cullison and Laubach led a balance Phoenix offense with 10 points each. Lae Black (Jr., Laurel, Md. / ) was a point shy of double figures and pulled down six boards in the process.
- Forrester was a bucket shy of double-figures with seven points, but got there in rebounds with an even 10.
- Wilson controlled the paint offensively as it outscored NDMU 34-18, but the Gators benefitted from outside shooting where they made 10-of-26.
- Elena Rodriguez had the hot hands for the Gators as she scored 23 points. She was 8-for-17 overall and 7-for-15 from range.
Up Next
Wilson will return to action on Saturday as it hosts Saint Elizabeth. Tip-off with the Eagles is set for 1 p.m.
