Middletown, CT --- Wesleyan sophomore Kaylie Williams (Danville, CA) came off the bench to produce game highs of 12 points and nine rebounds as she helped propel the Cardinals to a 56-34 victory over Worcester State in non-conference women's basketball action this evening at the Somers Gym.
Wesleyan (7-1) was also paced by junior Desreisen Heath (New Haven, CT) who added nine points and six boards while classmate Jess Cherenza (Westerly, RI) did a little bit of everything with five points, seven boards, three assists and a trio of swipes.
Senior Meaghan Burns (W. Brookfield, MA) led the Lancers (3-5) with team highs of 11 points, eight caroms and three helpers. Junior Kiesha Jones (Worcester, MA/Doherty) chipped in with 10 points as freshman Ashley Espinosa (Putnam, CT) pitched in with five points, four rebounds and a trifecta of steals for WSU.
The hosts raced out to the 18-5 margin with 7:00 to play in the first half before setting for the 32-13 advantage at the intermission.
The Lancers shot poorly in the first half as they sank just four of their 29 tries from the field compared to the modest 39 percent that their opponents hit.
In the second half, the Blue and Gold played better defensively and limited their opponents to shoot just 26 percent and one of their seven bids from downtown, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit at the break. The Cardinals maintained their 20 point margin and rolled to the victory.
With 11 steals, Wesleyan also took advantage of 17 Lancer miscues, which they converted into a 16-8 edge in points off turnovers. The hosts also led in second chance points (16-2), dominated the backboards (51-37) and the offensive glass (22-15).
The Lancers look to regroup on Monday against their third straight NESCAC opponent in the form of Bowdoin at 7 PM. Wesleyan opens conference play with a 2 PM road game against Williams.
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