MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Behind some stellar shooting from Marina Petruzzi '22 and Maggie Lee '23, the Wesleyan women's basketball team overcame a slow start to run away from Conn. College in a 72-46 win on Sunday afternoon from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan (7-9, 1-3 NESCAC) breaks a three-game losing stream while securing their first conference win of the season while the Camels (2-13, 0-3 NESCAC) – who were playing with just seven active players - have lost seven straight.
 
Petruzzi took on a leading role, finishing with a career-high 25 points while hitting 6-of-8 from three-point range to best her previous career-high of 22 (accomplished three times). The senior guard netted 13 of her game and career high scoring total in the third quarter alone as she canned four of her six three-pointers in that quarter alone. She did all her damage in just 24 minutes while adding seven rebounds in what was a career day for Petruzzi.
 
While Petruzzi couldn't miss in the second half, it was the Lee show in the first half as the junior guard made all five of her three-point attempts, scoring all 15 of her season-high point total in the first half alone.
 
As a team, Wesleyan shot 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from behind the arc in the win over the Camels while shooting 51 percent (26-for-51) from the floor for the game. The Cardinals took advantage of soft spots in the Conn. College 2-3 zone all afternoon and capitalized with their second-most three-point makes in a game this season.
 
Despite playing with just seven players, it was the Camels who came out and impressed in the first quarter. Wesleyan built a 15-8 lead with just over two minutes left in the frame but the Camels answered with a 6-0 run, all of which coming from Jaycie Rojik jumpers in the paint, to cut the lead down to 18-14 at the end of one.
 
Conn. College whittled the deficit down to as few as three points early in the second quarter but Brooke Guiffre '23 netted a jumper and then a three-pointer to get things started up for the Cardinals. After the Camels' Caitlyn Donadio cut the Wesleyan lead to 28-25 with a steal and score, the Cardinals outscored Conn. College 17-3 over the remaining 5+ minutes of the first half.
 
Petruzzi got the run started with a triple and jumper in the lane while Maddie Clark '22 hit a three from the corner and Lee capped a torrid first half with her fifth triple to make it 39-25 before ultimately heading into halftime leading 45-28.
 
Wesleyan continued to pour it on to start the second half as the Cardinals went on a 11-2 run to open the third quarter including three straight makes on three consecutive trips down the floor for Petruzzi from distance. The Cardinal lead grew to as many as 29 points by the end of the third quarter as Wesleyan outscored the Camels 19-7 in the frame.
 
The fourth quarter was relatively low-scoring with the game already in-hand as Wesleyan emptied their bench in the waning minutes. The students and staff on-hand were gifted a special moment as Ciara Castillo '23 came off the bench and hit a free throw as the junior scored her first career point.
 
Caleigh Ryan '22 found open shooters all day, finishing the game with a career-high 11 assists including nine in the first half alone. Her 11 assists are the third-highest single-game total in Wesleyan's program history and the most for any Cardinal in a game since Angie Palmer '95 set the program record with 13 dimes against Amherst on February 12, 1994.
 
Rojik led the Camels with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in 28 minutes. Donadio and Tiffani Bartee each tallied eight points for a shorthanded Conn. College squad.
 
Wesleyan will enjoy a break from NESCAC play as the Cardinals are slated for just one game in the next 11 days as that one contest is an away game at Eastern Nazarene on Thursday, January 20 at 7 PM.