Photo Courtesy of John Swartzel
(CINCINNATI, Ohio) – The Wilmington College women's basketball team lost their season-opener on the road Thursday night against the Mount St. Joseph University Lions in the Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic, 88-77. They drop to 0-1 on the season.
The Quakers fell behind early in this one, as they were down 14-11 with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter. The Lions then used a 13-7 run to end the period and take a 27-18 lead. Junior ZahKyria Walker scored eight points in the opening quarter, going 3-4 from the field.
The second quarter was a different story as the Quakers dominated. They came back to tie the game at 38-38 after a 20-11 run that was fueled by Keetyn Hupp's 12 points in the quarter. The freshman went 4-5 in the period, as the Quakers shot 60% from the field during those 10 minutes of play. Wilmington led at the half, 43-40 after a Cassidy Lovett three gave them a late lead.
The Quakers struggled in the third, as a 15-5 Lions run gave them a 55-48 advantage with 2:32 to play in the third quarter. Wilmington would go into the final quarter trailing 64-54. Hupp scored another four points for the Quakers in the third quarter.
The final period stayed scoreless for over a minute before Lovett hit a jumper to cut the lead to eight. She would score the ensuing four points for Wilmington, as they were down 66-60. Every time the Quakers tried to make a run; Mount St. Joseph had an answer. The Lions held a steady lead throughout the final minutes as their six-point deficit was as close as they would get.
Notables
- Freshman Keetyn Hupp had a great collegiate debut, scoring 18 points on 5-10 shooting and grabbing four rebounds with two assists and two steals.
- Cassidy Lovett scored a career high 17 points, going 7-12 from the field and picking up four rebounds.
- ZahKyria Walker scored 12 points, as she was 5-12 from the field, and had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Freshman Stephanie Altstaetter grabbed eight rebounds, while Brooke Stover had five steals.
- The Quakers shot 48.1% (25-52) from the field and 41.7% (5-12) from the three-point line. They also shot 78.6% (22-28) from the free throw line.
What's Up Next
Wilmington is right back on the court tomorrow afternoon against the Kenyon College Owls at 1:00 P.M. in their final game of the Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic.
