(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – In its return to conference competition, the Wilson women's basketball looked to hand St. Mary's its first loss in league play.
Allie Cullison (Sr., Westminster, Md. / Winters Mill) and
Chelcie Forrester (Jr., Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg / WVU Potomac State) both scored in double-figures to give the Phoenix a fighting chance, but the Seahawks were able to pull away in the fourth quarter for the win.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 68, St. Mary's 76
Venue: Gannett Field House
Records: Wilson 3-10, 2-2 UE; St. Mary's 7-6, 4-0 UE
How It Happened
- Long-range shooting helped the Blue and White get off to a great start to the contest. After the visitors opened a 4-0 lead, Laela Robinson (Sr., Lancaster, Pa. / Conestoga Valley) got the offense burning with a 3-pointer. Mackenzie Caldwell-Degnon (So., Rockville, Md. / Richard Montgomery) added another midway through the frame for a 12-8 lead before Kailee Soto (FY, Lancaster, Pa. / Columbia) sent the Phoenix into the second with a trey for a 17-14 advantage.
- A small 6-0 run by the Seahawks saw the visitors go up three after a Keira Mason jumper 2:42 into the frame, but Wilson responded with an 11-0 rally of its own for a 32-24 lead. Caldwell-Degnon later added a layup for a 35-26 lead, Wilson's largest of the game, before the Seahawks closed the first half with an 8-0 run to get within one at the break.
- Wilson benefited from going to the free throw line to stay close in the third quarter. Four consecutive makes at the charity stripe gave Wilson a 45-44 lead with 2:51 to go in the period, but St. Mary's closed the quarter on a 9-4 run. A layup by Forrester kept Wilson within two with 6:05 in the fourth before the Seahawks went on a 10-0 run to take control. A Cullison triple made it a two-possession game, but time ran out on Wilson's comeback attempt.
Inside The Numbers
- Cullison finished with a team-best 14 points after she went 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 behind the arc.
- Forrester recorded a second-straight double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. She was a force all around the court with five steals and three assists.
- Jewels Torres (Jr., York, Pa. / West York) had a solid day with nine points and a game-best seven assists for a new season-high.
- The Phoenix led the Seahawks 26-8 in bench points, but St. Mary's was led by three players in double-figures. Keira Mason proved the most trouble for Wilson as she finished with 26 points and was 9-for-14 from the field and 8-for-14 at the free throw line.
Up Next
Wilson heads on the road for two games next week. The first of those will come against Penn State Abington on Wednesday with a 5 p.m. tipoff against the Nittany Lions.
