(RICHMOND, Ind.) – The Wilmington College women's basketball team picked up their second win of the season Monday night on the road at Earlham College, 66-48 to secure the Quaker Bowl and win their eighth straight game against Earlham. They improve to 2-8 overall this season as they end 2023 on a high note.
Earlham hit a jumper 46 seconds into the game and that 2-0 lead would hold until freshman Katie Dryer made the Quakers first shot with exactly five minutes remaining in the first quarter. The teams would exchange three-pointers to push the score to 5-5. Wilmington would end the quarter on a 9-2 run to take the momentum in the game and hold a 14-7 advantage. Olivia Trusty, Cassidy Lovett, and ZahKyria Walker all had three points during this rally.
The Quakers lead would grow to 25-9 in the second quarter, as the Wilmington defense made it difficult on Earlham to score points. They had two steals to this point in the second period. The Quakers would roll into the halftime break with a 33-22 lead. Trusty and Stephanie Altstaetter each had a late bucket to give Wilmington the momentum heading into the locker room.
The lead would grow to 20 points at 44-24 with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter. The Quakers held a 51-28 advantage going into the fourth quarter. They would cruise in the fourth and win the game 66-48.
Notables
- Both basketball programs took the Quaker Bowl during the 2023-24 season, with the men beating Earlham 69-68 on November 18th.
- Wilmington held Earlham to less than 10 points in a quarter in the first (7) and third quarters (6). They have accomplished this feat three other times this season (Kenyon, 6 points in second quarter), La Roche (9 points in first quarter), and Mount Union (9 points in first quarter).
- Zahkyria Walker led Wilmington with 15 points, her fifth game this season with double-digit points.
- Cassidy Lovett scored 14 for Wilmington, her fifth game this season with 14 or more points.
- Lovett also led the team with a career-high nine steals and career-high six assists. Her nine steals are the second most in a single game in program history (Annie Kerregan, 10 in 1986-87). She has three or more steals in six games this season.
- Stephanie Alstaetter had eight rebounds to lead Wilmington.
- Nine of the Quakers 11 players scored in the game.
- The Quakers had a season-high 15 assists, made a season-high eight three-pointers, and tied their season-high with 26 made field goals.
What's Up Next
The Quakers return to Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action after the holiday break, playing at Capital University on Wednesday January 3rd at 7:00 P.M.
The Quakers and Comets split a pair of games last season, with the Quakers win coming at Capital.
