MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – A terrific outing from Tori DaCosta '25, combined with incredible defense throughout, proved more than enough for the Wesleyan women's basketball team in a 63-29 victory over Eastern Nazarene on Wednesday night from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan (7-9) led by as many as 41 points in the convincing win over the Lions (6-12) who shot just 20.3 percent from the floor and 2-of-27 from three in the game.
 
DaCosta was a force throughout, matching her career-high with 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes. This marked her sixth double-double of the season as she scored 19 of her 25 points in the first half alone.
 
In a simply dominating defensive performance, Wesleyan held the Lions to a season-low point total while Eastern Nazarene missed their first 18 attempts from behind the three-point line before making one midway through the third quarter. Eastern Nazarene came into this one averaging 8.6 three-point makes per game.
 
The Cardinals led wire-to-wire in this one, establishing a 6-0 lead which turned into a 11-2 advantage just over four minutes into play, capped by an Abby Gray '24 three-point play. Wesleyan continued to apply the pressure and finished the quarter on a 9-0 run that made it 22-5 after one. DaCosta had more than half the Cardinal points, as she scored 13 in the first quarter alone.
 
Wesleyan continued their offensive in the second quarter, outscoring the Lions 15-6 to hold a 37-11 halftime lead. In the first half, Eastern Nazarene shot just 15.6 percent (5-32 FG) from the floor against the Cardinal defense.
 
Two Cardinal baskets and 0 Lion points for the first 5+ minutes of the third quarter stretched Wesleyan's lead to 30 points and after a 7-0 run late in the frame, the Cardinals led 50-18 after three. One final surge in the form of a 13-2 run made it 63-22 with 5:05 remaining, representing the biggest Cardinal lead of the game at 41 points before the game wrapped up in a 63-29 Cardinal victory.
 
Wesleyan finished with a season-high 66 rebounds including 24 on the offensive glass. The last time the Cardinals grabbed more rebounds in a game came back on February 5, 2019 in a 93-42 win over Vermont Tech where Wesleyan totaled 71 rebounds. Eastern Nazarene finished with 32, giving the Cardinals a +31 advantage on the boards.
 
Olivia Quinn '26 was the lone other Cardinal who netted double figure points as the freshman finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Maggie Lee '23 totaled nine points and eight rebounds. Gray tallied five points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.
 
Wesleyan puts their two-game win streak on the line in a Saturday afternoon home tilt against No. 17 nationally ranked Trinity at 3:00 PM.