MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Despite a second half that saw the Cardinals shoot 9-for-9 on three-point attempts, it wasn't enough for the Wesleyan women's basketball team to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit as Bates left Silloway Gymnasium with a 91-82 victory on Sunday afternoon.
 
Victimized by a slow start that saw the Cardinals (6-8, 0-2 NESCAC) shoot just 26 percent in the first quarter, compared to Bates (8-3, 1-0 NESCAC) who shot 9-of-15 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes, Wesleyan dug themselves too big of a hole as the Bobcats led wire-to-wire in this one.
 
Four players hit double figures for the Cardinals who put up their second-highest single-game scoring total despite the loss. Maddie Clark '22 led the way with 19 points while Caleigh Ryan '22 added 13 points, four rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. Abby Gray '24 recorded her first career double-digit point total, just missing a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Madison Szabo '23 also tallied a career-high with 12 points to go along with six rebounds (all offensive). Alana Jones '24 had career-highs across the board with eight points, five assists and four rebounds in 21 minutes.
 
Bates, who scored their most points in a NESCAC game in nearly 20 years, had big performances up and down the lineup. Mia Roy pumped in a career-high 32 points while Ariana Dalia (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Brianna Gadaleta (10 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles. Meghan Graff was stellar all-around with six points, five rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
 
The Bobcats scored the first six points of the game and never looked back as the Cardinals recorded their first basket on a Szabo layup 3:10 into play. Shooting north of 60 perfect from the floor through a majority of the first half, Bates led 23-12 after the first quarter and later stretched their advantage to as many as 17 early in the second quarter.
 
In the face of Bates' hot start, the Cardinals did not go away easily as a 7-0 Cardinal run lowered the deficit down to 10 before the Bobcats strung together a couple of baskets late to lead 43-28 at the break.
 
It was 56-34 Bobcats with 7:37 left in the third quarter but Jones made something happen coming off the bench as she assisted on buckets from Gray and Ryan before scoring four points of her own to help manufacture a 9-0 run that later became a 14-1 Cardinal spurt which cut the deficit from 22 all the way down to just nine with 2:11 left in the third quarter.
 
Even with all the momentum and a 31-point fourth quarter, the 20+ point deficit was just too much to overcome as the Cardinals saw the Bobcats score 30 points in the fourth themselves to ice away a high-scoring Sunday afternoon affair.
 
NESCAC play continues next weekend for Wesleyan as the Cardinals will see both in-state league foes starting with a trip to Trinity on Friday night before hosting Connecticut College on Sunday.