ST. DAVIDS, Pa.— Eastern University Women's Basketball scored the first 12 points of the game and pulled away to a 68-29 non-league win over the visiting Cairn University Highlanders. With 19 points and 11 rebounds,
Madeline Wylie recorded a her second-straight double-double to lead the Eagles to their second win to start the year.
The Eagles (2-0) got inside early and ended the game with a 30-18 edgier points in the paint. Wylie and fellow sophomore
Sophia Vera scored the first dozen points of the game. Vera hit a 3-pointer, a pair of free throws and a driving lay-up, and Wylie had a pair of baskets and a free throw.
The Eastern lead grew to 20-3 with 90 seconds left in the first quarter before the Highlanders converted a three-point play to close the gap to 14.
With the Highlanders unable to hit from distance and the Eagles having a size advantage inside, Eastern outscored their guests 14-to-6 in the second quarter to take a 34-12 lead to the locker room.
Camryn Rodriguez had nine of her 11 points in the first half. Wylie was well on her way to her second double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
With the 22-point halftime lead, the Eagles needed to remain focused on defense and execute on offense. They did just that. Cairn scored only three points in the first nine minutes of the third quarter, and the Eagles got good shots and hit them. After going only 1-of-8 from distance in the first half, the Eagles hit three straight from distance on shots from
Ava Adams, Vera, and
Laila Alexander. The Highlanders made the final two baskets of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 52-19.
Alexander and
Ny Hairston both hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Eagles continued to defend.
Jada Ramos-Diggs six of her eight points in the fourth.
Wylie hit a second career-high in points on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting. Hairston grabbed eight rebounds, and Rodriguez had seven rebounds and four blocked shots to go with her 11 points.
The Eagles will play at Delaware Valley on Friday.
