RIVERDALE, NY.- The Wesleyan women's basketball team returned to the court for the first time since December 10^th to take on the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York Saturday afternoon. They were able to claim an eight-point victory in their return on the back of a stellar defensive effort that held the Dolphins to a season-low 44 points on just 29.7% shooting from the field. Wesleyan bounces back into the win column after a five-game skid before the break, moving to 5-6. Mount Saint Vincent drops to 4-6 with the loss.

Wesleyan was led by the senior duo of Maggie Lee '23 and Brooke Guiffre '23 who combined for 29 of Wesleyan's 52 points and nine of their 16 field goals. Lee did nearly all of her damage from beyond the arc, cashing in on four of her 12 three-point attempts (4-15 FG overall) for 14 points in 31 minutes of action. Guiffre was the best overall player for the Cardinals tonight, pouring in 15 points on an efficient 5/8 from the field (3/5 3pt) while bringing down eight boards and contributing two steals.

It was a team effort on the defensive end for the Cardinals, as they held the Dolphins to just 27.9% shooting from the field and 3/12 from the three-point line. Tori DaCosta '25 led the way on that end of the court, recording a career-high four steals. She also held down the paint with two blocks, restricting the two starting bigs for Mount Saint Vincent to a combined 1/10 from the field. She was helped in that department by Abby Gray '24 who managed a career-high 14 rebounds, four of which were offensive.

The game started out about how you would expect the first game back after a near three-week layoff would go, with both teams playing hard but not many points being put up. The game was 6-5 heading into the final two minutes of the first quarter when Shania Wolfe-White converted a layup plus the foul to give the Dolphins a three-point advantage late in the quarter. Wesleyan would close out the final minute and a half on an 8-0 run capped off by a last second three-pointer from the top of the key by Ciara Castillo '23 that gave the Cardinals a 13-8 lead.

 Wesleyan kept that momentum going into the 2^nd quarter, outscoring the Dolphins 17-6 to take a double-digit lead into the second half. The Cardinals got it going from behind the arc in the quarter, nailing their first four triples of the period. Wesleyan kept their foot on the gas in the 3^rd, extending their lead to 22 halfway through the quarter on an Alana Jones '24 midrange jumper. Amber Been then beat the 3^rd quarter buzzer with her first three of the night attempting to shift momentum back the Dolphins way going into the 4^th.

Been began the 4^th the same way she ended it, with a triple and the Dolphins had life. Mount Saint Vincent then went on a mini 6-0 run that trimmed the Wesleyan lead to just 13. Guiffre's strong left-handed drive stopped the run momentarily, but the Dolphins responded with yet another run. This time it was a 7-0 run that cut the deficit to just eight, the closest they have been since early in the 2^nd quarter. Guiffre responded with another layup, and with less than a minute left the Cardinals' 10-point lead would hold up.

Been led the way for the Dolphins with 23 points (10-35 FG), eight steals, and seven rebounds. The Dolphins forced 31 Wesleyan turnovers, converting 15 points off those chances. Wesleyan shot well from the free throw line, knocking down 10-13 attempts. Wesleyan just shot 16-52 (30.8%) from the field but managed a 10/26 (38.5%) showing from behind the arc.

Wesleyan now enters NESCAC play, with home games against Bowdoin (Jan.6^th) and Colby (Jan.7^th) next weekend.