CLINTON, NY- Women's basketball uses big 3^rd quarter to down Hamilton, 86-77. The battle between these tow NESCAC foes went back and forth for the first two quarters, ending in a Continentals' three-point advantage. Wesleyan then came out of the locker room with a new sense of urgency, putting up 27 points to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter. They would hold on for a nine-point victory for their 2^nd conference win of the year. Wesleyan improves to 9-10 (2-4 NESCAC), while Hamilton drops to 8-10 (1-5 NESCAC).

Wesleyan was led by Maddie Clark '22 on the offensive end who scored a career-high 24 points on 7-10 FG and a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. Clark reached double figures for the 10^th time in the past 11 games. She also contributed on the boards with eight rebounds in her 29 minutes of action.

Marina Petruzzi '22 (5-12 FG) and Caleigh Ryan '22 (7-14 FG) both helped in the scoring department as well, scoring 17 points each. The senior trio combined for 58 of Wesleyan's 86 points, and were joined in double figures by Maggie Lee '23 with 11. Ryan also brought down 14 boards, her third straight game with double-digit rebounds and her 6^th double-double of 2021-22. Just for good measure, she also led the team in assist on the night with five.

The 1^st quarter was back and forth with neither team gaining more than a five-point advantage. Brooke Guiffre '23 hit a three-pointer with less than a minute left that cut the Wesleyan deficit to only two heading into the first break.

Ryan opened up the 2^nd quarter with a shot from long distance to give the Cardinals their first lead since less than two minutes into the game. Wesleyan would hang on their lead for most of the quarter, however the Continentals would end the half with a Emily Hall driving layup to give them a three point lead going into the half.

Wesleyan would have an offensive explosion in the third, despite not scoring for nearly the first two minutes of the quarter. Hamilton would extend to a seven point lead., their largest of the contest, before the Cardinals offense woke up. A 23-5 run to end the half on the back of Clark's 13 3^rd quarter points gave Wesleyan a comfortable 10 point lead going into the final 10 minutes.

Wesleyan hung on to their lead in the 4^th on the back of some great free throw shooting, and taking care of the ball down the stretch to finish with a 9-point win. Hamilton was led by Kelce Zarlie (29 points) and Emily Hall (22 points).

Wesleyan's next game will be another NESCAC matchup at home against Williams on February 4^th. The two teams met earlier this year in Massachusetts where the Ephs won by 13 points.