MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – After being held to eight first half points, Olivia Quinn '26 erupted for 21 second half points on her way to a 29-point game, leading the Wesleyan women's basketball team to a 60-51 win over Wheaton on Saturday afternoon from Silloway Gymnasium. The Cardinals improve to 4-4 overall and 3-0 at home this season while the Lyons drop to 3-6 overall.
 
Quinn, the leading scorer in the NESCAC, came to life in the second half even though the senior forward played all 40 minutes for the second time in three games. With her team trailing by four at halftime, Quinn and the Cardinals made a big move in the third quarter, outscoring Wheaton 16-5 in a frame that Quinn scored 11 of Wesleyan's 16 points.
 
Heading into the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead, the Cardinals put the game away with a 9-0 run as Quinn scored the first four points while Samaya Lovett '29 drove the lane for two baskets. Owning their biggest lead of the game at 52-38 with 5:52 remaining, Wesleyan held off a Wheaton team that closed the gap down to seven points with 1:40 left, only to see Quinn nail a floater in the lane then ice the game away late with four free throws as she finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe in the contest.
 
The game was won in the third quarter as the Cardinals outscored Wheaton 16-5, holding the Lyons to a 2-for-14 shooting performance with no free throw attempts in the period. The Cardinals saw Quinn and Meghan Kirck '28 score all 16 points with Wesleyan holding Wheaton scoreless for the final 4:36 of the stanza. Quinn and Kirck scored 10 unanswered points to end the third quarter, while Kirck hit another basket to start the fourth quarter and complete what was a 12-0 run that turned a three-point deficit into a nine-point Wesleyan lead.
 
Quinn finished just one point shy of her career-high total, going 8-for-18 from the floor while adding six rebounds and two steals. Kirck tallied 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and Alli Jones '27 totaled eight points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks on her 21^st birthday.
 
The Cardinals are back at home on Tuesday night with a 7 PM tip against Amherst in a Little Three non-league showdown.