NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – With the score tied 63-63 with 5:49 remaining, Oswego State scored 13 unanswered points down the stretch to defeat the Wesleyan women's basketball team 76-65 on Tuesday afternoon in the Smith College Holiday Tournament. Wesleyan drops to 4-6 on the season while the Lakers improved to 4-4.
 
A dynamic back-and-forth first quarter saw the lead change hands five times while the two sides combined for 43 points in the frame. Wesleyan went 5-of-8 from three-point territory while Oswego State hit four from deep of their own. The Cardinals scored on five straight possessions in the early going with baskets coming from four different players, giving Wesleyan a 10-3 lead. The Lakers bounced back to tie the score at 15-15 before Meghan Kirck '28 sunk two three-pointers late in the quarter to hand Wesleyan a 23-20 lead after one.
 
The script flipped in the second quarter as the defenses dominated in a stanza that featured just 28 combined points scored. The Lakers led by as many as five midway through the period but the Cardinals held Oswego scoreless over the final 3:15 of the half, using a 6-0 run to stake a 36-35 lead at half.
 
Neither side could separate from the other in the third quarter, as the largest lead for either team in the stanza was three points. Heading into the fourth with the score tied at 51 apiece, the back-and-forth play continued with Kirck hitting another three-pointer to make it 58-55 Cardinals before Alli Jones '27 converted a three-point play followed by a jumper that both tied the score.
 
However, the remaining 5:49 of the contest was all Oswego, as the Cardinals missed their final 11 shot attempts in the game while the Lakers scored 13 unanswered points to claim the win.
 
Wesleyan finished 10-for-30 from three-point range and made all seven free throw attempts in the game. The Cardinals also committed just 10 turnovers, which is their fewest in the past five games.
 
Kirck led the team in scoring with 17 points, hitting 5-of-11 from three. Jones added 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Tori DaCosta '25 landed a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive) to go along with three assists. Olivia Quinn '26 made it four Cardinals in double figures as she finished with 11 points.
 
Up next for the Cardinals is a return to Silloway Gymnasium on Saturday as Wesleyan plays host to Williams for a 3:30 PM tip in a non-conference Little Three showdown.