(BALTIMORE) – Wilson gave a preview for March Madness as it erased a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to take the lead against Notre Dame in the United East Championship First Round. Unfortunately for the No. 10 Phoenix, they weren't able to hold on as the No. 7 Gators closed the game with a 13-4 run to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals.
The Phoenix were down by as many as 16, but a third-quarter surge provided new life and set the stage for a roller coaster fourth quarter.
The Basics
Score: No. 10 Wilson 57, No. 7 Notre Dame 65
Venue: MBK Athletic Complex
Records: Wilson 10-16, Notre Dame 14-12
How It Happened
- The hosts got off to a fast start with two field goals in the first 40 seconds and added another bucket later en route to a 17-7 opening. Although the Phoenix scored the final four points of the first, the deficit grew in the second quarter as the Gators closed the half on a 15-6 run to take a 35-19 lead into halftime.
- Wilson started to make its resurgence near the start of the third. After an exchanging of buckets, Chelcie Forrester (Jr., Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg / WVU Potomac State) and Allie Cullison (Sr., Westminster, Md. / Winters Mill) got the proverbial ball rolling with a pair of inside buckets. Notre Dame answered with an Amya Durham layup before the Phoenix continued their run with makes by Kailee Soto (FY, Lancaster, Pa. / Columbia) and Cullison. Cullison further decreased the deficit with a 3-pointer to get within single digits. Following a Gators layup, a Jewels Torres (Jr., York, Pa. / West York) free throw and a Lae Black (Jr., Laurel, Md. / Meade) layup brought the visitors within eight.
- Notre Dame built the lead back up to 15 at the start of the fourth. With the season on the line, Leah Laubach (FY, Marietta, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic) rallied the troops with a 3-pointer on a dish from Soto. After a Soto steal, Laubach added a layup to make it 51-41 with 7:06 to go. Soto then found Cullison for an open triple after another Gators turnover. Torres added a pair of free throws before she found Soto open for another trey. A pair of Forrester free throws finally pulled Wilson even at 51-all with 4:41 on the clock.
- The Gators added a free throw before the Phoenix took the lead on a pair of Torres makes from the charity stripe that made it 53-52 with under four minutes left. Notre Dame quickly regained the lead with a free throw and a mid-range jumper. Laubach kept Wilson with a trey to make it 57-56 with 1:24 to go, but an 8-1 Gators run sealed Wilson's fate.
Inside The Numbers
- Cullison finished with a team-high 14 points on a 6-for-12 night from the field. She made a pair behind the arc and added four rebounds to her line.
- Laubach was second in scoring for the Phoenix with a baker's dozen coming off the bench. She was 5-for-11 overall, 2-for-3 from range, and also added four rebounds.
- Torres hit double-figures with 11 points with most of her damage once again coming from the foul line where she was 7-for-9.
- Notre Dame was paced by Amani Watts with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Durham finished with 13.
- Wilson's bench outscored Notre Dame's 22-4.
