CALDWELL, N.J. - - Wilmington was unable to overcome an early deficit Friday afternoon, falling 79–47 on the road against Caldwell in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play in the last game before the Holiday Break.
The Wildcats found themselves playing from behind as Caldwell established control early and maintained the advantage throughout the contest. Wilmington continued to compete on both ends of the floor, but the home team's consistency and depth proved difficult to match.
The Wildcats scored the first four points of the game, but found themselves down 11-4 before being able to find the bottom of the net once again. Sparkle Leigh made a layup to make it 15-8, but Caldwell scored the final four points to take a 19-8 lead into the second quarter.
A Mya Nisbet three-pointer brought the Wildcats to within 21-15, and the Wildcats had it to within five once again, 22-17, with 5:24 to play in the second half. The Cougars clamped down on defense from there, closing the quarter on a 14-0 run to take a 36-17 lead into the halftime break.
The Wildcats' best offensive quarter came in the third, scoring 17 points while shooting 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from the floor. But Caldwell came up with five steals in the quarter, putting up seven more shots than the Wildcats to win the quarter, 23-17, and extend their lead out to 59-34.
The lead grew to as large as 36 for the Cougars in the fourth quarter, winning the frame, 20-13.
The loss drops Wilmington to 0–12 overall and 0–5 in conference action. Caldwell improved to 8–3 overall and 3–2 in the league.
Emma Brown had a team high 10 points, narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Reynah Rattliff scored eight points to go with a team high 10 rebounds and three assists. TyKeisha Hill had six points with two rebounds and two assists while Bene Butler came off the bench and hit two three-pointers for six points and two rebounds.
Caldwell turned 34 Wilmington turnovers into 33 points on offense while adding 23 points of 31 offensive rebounds.
The Wildcats are off until the New Year, returning to action on Saturday, January 3, when they travel to Dominican for another CACC battle. The opening tip is set for 1:00 p.m.