WATERVILLE, Me. – The Wesleyan women's basketball team opened NESCAC play with a 69-53 defeat at Colby on Sunday afternoon from the Margaret Crook Center. The Cardinals (7-4, 0-1 NESCAC) lose on the road for just the second time in eight games this season while the Mules (9-4, 1-0 NESCAC) are winners in three of their past four games.
 
The Cardinals dug themselves too big a hole in the first half, trailing 20-12 after the first quarter and 17-6 in the second as Colby held a 37-18 halftime lead. Wesleyan closed the gap to single digits in the third quarter and got to within seven points of the lead in the fourth, but it was too little too late as the Mules closed the game on a 17-6 run.
 
Maggie Lee '23 netted a triple on the first Cardinal possession of the game and Tori DaCosta '25 followed that with a layup in the lane as Wesleyan held a 5-0 lead early. Colby, however, jumped into high gear with a 14-2 run to hold a 14-7 lead at the midway point of the first.
 
Leading by eight entering the second quarter, Colby continued to push, extending their lead to 28-14 with 6:42 left in the stanza. Colby's defense made life difficult on the Cardinal offense, as Wesleyan went just 3-for-15 (20 percent), scoring six points in the quarter.
 
Wesleyan played their best ball in the third, outscoring Colby 22-13 in the frame to cut the deficit to 10 points entering the fourth. The Cardinals came up with a 11-1 run with baskets coming from five different players in the spurt. Felicia Fongemie '27 netted nine of her team-high 18 points in the third quarter alone, hitting a pair of three-pointers as Wesleyan got to within eight points of the lead in the stanza.
 
Fongemie hit a runner in the lane with 8:11 remaining, trimming the margin to 52-45, but that was as close as the Cardinals would get as the Mules shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the fourth compared to just 35.3 percent for Wesleyan.
 
Fongemie finished with 18 points (7-16 FG) as the first-year shined in her NESCAC debut. DaCosta added 17 points (8-13 FG) with six rebounds and two assists as the pair combined for 35 of the Cardinals' 53 total points scored on the day.
 
Kate Olenik led the Mules with a game-high 19 points with 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Adaobi Nebuwa (12), Lydia Mordarski (11), and Lauren Cho (10) all finished with double-digit point totals for Colby.
 
The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday with a home game against Coast Guard at 7 PM as this marks the first time Wesleyan has played at home since December 2, having played the last five away from Silloway Gym.