LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University women's basketball team had a 14-point second-quarter lead slip away as Georgian Court battled back for a 72-58 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory on Tuesday night inside the GCU Wellness Center.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 24-19 lead after the first quarter and led by as many as 35-21 with 6:06 to play in the second quarter. But the Lions went on a 13-3 run to end the half, climbing back to within a four-point game at the half. The Lions then won the third quarter, 16-10, and the fourth quarter, 22-10, to earn the comeback victory.
The Wildcats used a 9-1 run in the first quarter to take their first lead. Mya Nisbet hit a three-pointer and then Emma Brown had an offensive putback and foul for a three-point play. Reynah Rattliff finished off the run with a three-pointer of her own, giving the Wildcats a 13-7 lead. Armani Bell-Jackson hit a three-pointer to start a 7-4 run to end the quarter as Rattliff put in a floater in the final seconds for a 24-19 lead.
Georgian Court scored the first bucket of the second quarter, but then the Wildcats rattled off an 11-0 run to take their largest lead of the season. The run started with back-to-back layups from TyKeisha Hill and then Emma Brown had another offensive putback and three-point play for a 31-21 lead. TyKeisha Hill hit a jumper to continue the run and then Brown had another offensive putback to cap the spurt, as the Wildcats held a 35-21 lead. But the Lions answered with a 13-3 the rest of the quarter, as the Wildcats went one for their next seven shots and had four turnovers. The Lions had a layup at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 38-34.
TyKeisha Hill hit a jumper for a 44-38 lead in the third quarter, but then the Lions answered with a 5-0 run to get to within a point. Bene Butler hit a shot with 2:47 left for a 48-45 lead, but that would be the final points of the quarter for the Wildcats. The Lions took the lead, 49-48, with 56 seconds left and took a 50-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
Emma Brown started the fourth with a bucket to tie the game and then hit a jumper to retie the game, 52-52. A quick 4-0 spurt put the Lions up for good, as the Wildcats could only get back to within two points the rest of the way. A 12-0 run in the final two minutes extended the lead for the Lions.
Emma Brown secured her second straight and fourth overall double-double of the season, scoring 16 points while adding 10 rebounds. TyKeisha Hill had 10 points and six rebounds while Reynah Rattliff had eight points with nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Mya Nisbet hit three three-pointers for nine points.
The Wildcats remain on the road for their final nonconference game of the season on Thursday night. They travel to Penn State Brandywine with a 7:00 p.m. scheduled start.