NEW CASTLE, DE -- The Lady Wildcats of Wilmington University held off the visiting Lions of Georgian Court University, 70-65 in overtime, as the two squads battled in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) women’s basketball action on Thursday evening at the Pratt Center. The loss snaps GCU's five-game winning streak.
The action went back and forth for much of the first half, as neither team led by more than five. Wilmington controlled play in the waning seconds of the period and went into the break holding the 29-26 advantage.
The second half started the same way the first half ended, as the two teams continued to trade baskets. With the score tied at 36, Georgian Court went on a quick 7-0 run that put the Lions ahead 43-36 with 12:04 remaining in the game. The visitors stayed on top, until a quick 6-0 spurt midway through the period cut the lead to just one (44-45). Georgian Court went back up by six (50-56), but again the Wildcats showed their resiliency and battled back again. Two free throws by the Lions’ Patti Foley (Sr.-Lake Grove, NY) put the guests up by a score of 59-57 with 36 seconds on the clock. Wilmington answered right back as a turnaround jumper in the lane by Wilmington’s Amelia Simmons tied the game at 59 with 14 ticks remaining. Georgian Court missed two shots in the closing seconds and sent the game to overtime.
Wilmington controlled the overtime period, courtesy of two baskets by Simmons and four clutch free throws from Denise Crudup sealed the all-important conference victory for the hosts.
The Wildcats were led by junior forward Amelia Simmons, who netted a game-high 24 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Junior guard Kim Parker added 19 points and five boards, while senior guard Jamie Gallagher had 11 points. Senior forward Jillian Bennett chipped in with eight points and 13 rebounds.
Georgian Court was paced by Patti Foley’s 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Dee Varley (Jr.-Little Egg Harbor, NJ/Pinelands) added 17 points and five boards, while Lauren Staats (So.-Dunellen, NJ) chipped in with 10 points for the Lions.
Wilmington held a slight edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Lions by a 44-40 margin. Georgian Court shot just over 42 percent from the floor for the game, while the Wildcats connected at a 39.4 percent clip. Wilmington made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe, hitting 14-of-19 chances. Georgian Court squandered away a few chances from the free throw line, netting just 9-of-15 opportunities.
With the win, Wilmington improved to 9-5 in the CACC and 14-9 overall, while Georgian Court dropped to 7-8 in the conference and 11-13 on the season. The Lions return to the court on Saturday afternoon when they play host to Bloomfield College in a CACC contest beginning at 12:00 PM. All in attendance are encouraged to wear pink in recognition of WBCA Pink Zone Day as GCU and Bloomfield raise funds for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund TM, in partnership with the V Foundation.
