WBB Holds Off Wesleyan for First Home Win of 2023

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team won for the fourth time in their last five games on Thursday evening, holding off Wesleyan University 85-75 in non-conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Senior Dede Stevenson (Hartford, Conn.) scored 20 points to lead the Mariners, who had five players finish in double-figures. Stevenson added three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Amina Wiley (New Rochelle, N.Y.) posted her sixth double-double of the season, pouring in 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Senior Sam McKenna continued what has been an impressive stretch, filling the stat sheet to the tune of 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Two other Mariners reached double figures scoring, as Yasmine Santos (Pawtucket, R.I.) contributed 12 points and four rebounds, and freshman Jamya Beddoe (New London, Conn.) had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers.

After Amina Wiley made a layup to open the scoring 20 seconds into the game, Maggie Lee answered with a triple to give the Cardinals an early one-point lead. Dede Stevenson soon followed with a free throw and a three, pushing Mitchell ahead, where they would remain for the rest of the contest. The Mariners lead grew as large as 22-9 late in the first quarter, but an 8-0 run by Wesleyan had them right back in the mix, and they trailed by just two after 10 minutes.

The second quarter was the strongest for Mitchell, who outscored the Cardinals 19-7 in the frame and took a 14-point advantage to the locker room. A strong third quarter saw Wesleyan claw back, and by the time the final stanza came around, the Mariners held onto a slim eight-point lead.

Another long-range basket by Lee trimmed the deficit to six points with eight minutes remaining, but Stevenson answered with a three ball of her own to give the Mariners some breathing room down the stretch. As the quarter approached the midway point, Beddoe sank a triple, pushing the lead to double digits for the home squad, which led to a Wesleyan timeout.

The rest of the game followed a similar pattern, as every time the Cardinals drew close, the Mariners answered with a big shot to keep them just out of reach. Stevenson capped off her big night with strong play in the waning moments, finishing with nine points in the fourth, including a pair of three-pointers and two big foul shots.

The Mariners strong defense effort resulted in 26 Cardinal turnovers, which in turn led to 27 points for the home team. 

Maggie Lee led all Cardinal scorers with 21 points, while Brooke Guiffre had 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Maggie Smith posted 12 points and six rebounds in the loss.

The Mariners (7-8 overall) will open conference play on Saturday, January 14^th, when they host Lesley University at 12:00 pm. Wesleyan (5-9) has now dropped three games in a row, and will look to right the ship when they return to New London on Sunday, January 15^th, for a NESCAC matchup with Connecticut College.