Posted: Jan 08, 2020
BEXLEY, Ohio - The Wilmington College women's basketball team cut a 25-point deficit to a single possession late, but never got the ball back with a chance to tie it as Capital University defeated the Quakers 81-76 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action on Wednesday evening.
The Quakers made just three field goals in the first quarter and found themselves trailing 26-8 after one quarter. A 7-0 run from the Crusaders to begin the second quarter gave Capital a 33-8 lead. The hosts kept up at least a 20-point advantage and led 40-20 midway through the period. Wilmington's defense stepped up over the final 4:23 of the half, holding Capital to just six points while scoring 11.
The third quarter proved to be the best of the game for the Quakers as they turned a 15-point, halftime deficit (46-31) into a manageable 61-54 hole with 10 minutes to play. In the fourth, Wilmington got within five points (65-60) on an Ellen Nilback layup at the 7:13 mark. Capital answered right back, however, with a basket from Regan Stonerock.
Five minutes later, two Hannah Binkley free throws once against cut the deficit to five at 75-70. This time around, the Quakers got a defensive stop, but could get closer as a three-pointer on the ensuing possession was off the mark. Two Stonerock free throws put the Crusaders back up 77-72, but a McKayla Binkley layup and a Kennedy Lewis steal and layup got Wilmington to within a single possession, 77-74, with 36 seconds to play.
The Quakers elected to foul, and Capital converted its free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
The Crusaders made one more field goal (26-25) as well as shooting just over six percent better from the field than the Quakers. Wilmington countered by making four triples to Capital's three. A total of 49 fouls were called in the game, resulting in the hosts making 26-of-35 (74.3 percent) from the line and visitors 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) from the charity stripe.
Capital won the rebounding battle 47-32 while Wilmington had 14-4 edge in steals.
Individually, McKayla Binkley led all scorers with a season-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and four steals. Kennedy Lewis (16 points) and Hannah Binkley (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Four of Capital's five starters scored in double figures including 21 points from Emma Burns and a 19-point, nine-rebound performance from Stonerock.
Wilmington, which fell on the road for the first time in conference play this season, dips to 7-4 and 3-2 in OAC play. The Quakers will host defending OAC champions John Carroll University at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
