MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On the same night that saw Olivia Quinn '26 score her 1,000^th career point, the Wesleyan women's basketball team overcame a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter, outscoring Skidmore 22-9 in the fourth quarter to land a 50-46 win on Thursday night from Silloway Gymnasium. The win moves the Cardinals to 5-5 on the season and 4-1 at home while the Thoroughbreds are now 1-6 on the year.
 
Needing 12 points coming into the night to reach the milestone, Quinn scored eight in the first half then netted a free throw, followed by a floater in the paint, before hitting a free throw with 5:30 remaining to secure her place in history. Quinn joins an elite group, becoming the 13^th player program history to score 1,000 career points and the first to do so since Olivia Gorman '19 in 2019.
 
On a night where the Cardinals couldn't get much going offensively for the first three quarters, some timely baskets from Kaylin Genda '26 and a strong defensive showing kept Wesleyan in the game. The first quarter saw Skidmore go on separate 8-0 and 7-0 runs to lead 16-11.
 
The second quarter saw both teams struggle to score points as the two sides combined for 19 points in the frame. Skidmore scored six unanswered points to lead 24-15, their largest lead of the first half, and then after the Cardinals cut the deficit down to five, Rachel Carpenter hit a three-pointer on the final possession to spot Skidmore a 27-19 halftime lead.
 
The two sides traded baskets early in the third quarter, but the Wesleyan defense responded, holding Skidmore scoreless for well over five straight minutes. Despite the defensive dominance, Wesleyan was unable to capitalize on offense, scoring just one basket in that stretch but Genda came up with another three in the final minute of the period to make it 37-28 Skidmore heading into the fourth.
 
The game was won in the fourth quarter as Wesleyan outscored Skidmore 22-9 in the frame, going 6-for-11 from the floor and 9-of-13 from the free throw line while holding the Thoroughbreds to a 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) showing from the floor. Incredibly, from the 6:54 mark of the third quarter through the final possession of the game, the Cardinals held Skidmore to 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) shooting with seven turnovers.
 
Starting the fourth quarter with a nine-point deficit, Genda opened the frame with her third three-point make of the night and just a few minutes later, Wesleyan used a 7-0 run to take their first lead since the first quarter at 41-40 with 5:30 remaining. After Skidmore retook a two-point lead, Alli Jones '27 tied the score with a drive to the rim and then sank two free throws to make it 45-43 Cardinals with 1:28 left.
 
After forcing a stop on the other end, Jones hit Quinn with a bounce pass from the top of the key for an open layup that gave Wesleyan a four-point advantage with a minute to play. Ruby Krop was left open underneath for a layup with 22 seconds left and after Quinn made 1-of-2 at the line, Skidmore decided to go for two instead of three and came up empty. Now with six seconds left, Madie Dayton '28 closed out the win making 1-of-2 from the line as the Cardinals secured a dramatic come-from-behind win.
 
Jones and Quinn dominated in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of the Cardinals' 22 points. Jones scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the second half as the junior forward added 13 rebounds for her second straight double-double and fifth on the season. Quinn tallied 16 points with 11 rebounds (five offensive) and three assists as this marked her third double-double of the season.
 
Genda played a key role in the outcome as the senior guard went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc to finish with a career-high 11 points in 27 minutes off the bench.
 
The Cardinals are off for the next 2+ weeks as the team will be back in action on Monday, December 29 against Redlands in Las Vegas for the D3hoops.com Classic.