(CAGUAS, Puerto Rico) – Wilson shot 53.3% in the second half and used an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away from Marymount in the Puerto Rico Clasico on Thursday evening. The Phoenix led by one at the end of a cold-shooting first half by both teams, but came out and made three 3-pointers to open the second and set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 65, Marymount 50
Venue: Roger Mendoza Coliseo
Records: Wilson 7-4, 2-0 United East; Marymount 3-6, 0-0 Atlantic East
How It Happened
- The Saints had the early advantage and led 11-6 late in the first quarter before Leah Laubach (So., Marietta, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic) made a layup to end the frame with some momentum for the Phoenix. It started an 8-0 run to put Wilson in front and help pave the way for a 22-21 halftime lead.
- Wilson's first possession in the third quarter resulted in trey by Mackenzie Caldwell-Degnon (Jr., Rockville, Md. / Richard Montgomery). It was a sign of things to come by not only her, but the team as a whole. After a Saints layup, Caldwell-Degnon drained another from downtown. Marymount scored another bunny before Laubach got into the mix with a trey to make the score 31-25. After Marymount regained the lead, Caldwell-Degnon hit her third triple of the third to put the Phoenix back in front 37-35. The Saints tied the game on the return trip before Kailee Soto (So., Lancaster, Pa. / Columbia) made Wilson's fifth 3-pointer of the frame to put the Phoenix up for good. Caldwell-Degnon closed the period in style as she made an old-fashioned 3-pointer after she was fouled on a layup and made the and-one free throw for a 48-39 lead headed to the fourth.
- That momentum rolled into the fourth quarter as Wilson led by at least eight the rest of the way. The Phoenix didn't let up on the gas and put together their largest run of the game which was an 11-0 spurt that included seven points from Chelsie Forrester (Sr., Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg / WVU Potomac State) and Caldwell-Degnon's final 3-pointer of the game.
Inside The Numbers
- Caldwell-Degnon burnt down the nets with 20 points on a night where she was 6-for-9 overall and 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Fifteen of those points came in the second half alone. She added nine rebounds and two steals to her line as well.
- Caldwell-Degnon's 20 points were a season-high and the second-most in a single game in her career.
- Forrester was perfect from the field en route to a 13-point night where she made all six attempts and added a free throw. On the glass she added six boards and made two steals as well.
- Laubach recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards.
- Jewels Torres (Sr., York, Pa. / West York) was plenty busy setting up her teammates as she tallied 11 assists to tie her career-high. The previous team she dished out 11 helpers came on February 10, 2024, as the Blue and White defeated Cairn 83-76.
- Although the two schools are located 96 miles away from each other, Wilson's and Marymount's meeting in La Isla del Encanto was their first.
- This is Wilson's first win outside the Eastern time zone.
Up Next
Wilson will return to the Roger Mendoza Coliseo to take on Franklin College out of Indiana on Friday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. Eastern.
