Showing no signs of rust after a 16-day layoff, the Chestnut Hill Women's Basketball team rode a monster first quarter as they remained undefeated in conference play with a 62-36 win at Wilmington University's Athletic Complex Wednesday night.

The Griffins, who dressed only eight players for the contest, improved to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) games.  The Wildcats fell to 1-8 overall and 1-3 in league play. Chestnut Hill's 9-3 start is their best start to a season since the 2002-03 campaign when the team also went 9-3.  In addition, the win also marks the first time in the program's Division II history that the Griffins started off 3-0 in CACC games.

Chestnut Hill put three players in double figures led by Emily Chmiel's (Doylestown, Pa.) 19 points.  Lauren Crim (Warrington, Pa.) added 15 points (5-8 3 pt. FG) and Bri Hewlett (North Wales, Pa.) chipped in 13.  Chmiel also grabbed 10 rebounds to record her fifth double-double of the season and third in her last four games.  Crim, with her five three-point field goals moved into fourth place on the Griffin's all-time three-point field goals made list with 162 for her career, passing Beth Ann Castone who sank 158 over her four-year career. (Ruairi Sullivan, a 2014 Griffins Hall of Fame inductee who played for Chestnut Hill from 1996-2000 is the Griffin's all-time leader with 239.)

Wilmington scored the first four points of the game and led 6-5 just two minutes into the first quarter when the Griffins scored ten straight points to take control and lead 15-6.  Kaitlyn Carter (Philadelphia, Pa.) started the run with a layup followed by a Hewlett layup.  Crim and Hewlett thank sank three-point baskets and the run was just getting started.  The Griffins expanded the run to a 23-5 effort over the final eight minutes of the quarter to lead 28-10 heading into the second quarter.  Chestnut Hill made 12 of 18 shots from the field (66.7%) in the first ten minutes of play.  Crim (9 pts.) and Hewlett (7) combined for 16 of the 28 first quarter points.

Chmiel scored the first four points of the second quarter, increasing the Griffins' lead to 32-10 but the Wildcats went on a 10-4 run to close out the quarter, shaving two points off the lead as Chestnut Hill maintained their double-digit advantage 36-20.   The Griffins pushed the lead back to 18.

Emily Sekerak's (New Tripoli, Pa.) basket midway through the third quarter increased the Griffins lead to 20 at 44-24 and the Wildcats followed with a rare three-point basket on their end  by Kiara Eubanks (just the team's fifth for the entire season) to cut the Griffins lead to 17, before the Griffins closed out the quarter by scoring three of the final five points of the period to lead 47-29 heading into the final quarter.

Chestnut Hill held the Wildcats to just three points over the first nine minutes of the final quarter and expanded their lead to 30, 62-32.  Emily Ansah (team-high 12 points for Wilmington) scored twice in the final minutes to provide the final 62-36 score.

In addition to Chmiel's game-high ten rebounds, Brianna Rider (Nottingham, Md.) grabbed a career high seven rebounds while Lindsay Lane (Havertown, Pa.), Hewlett and Abbey Spratt (Doylestown, Pa.) had five apiece.  Spratt, Carter, Crim and Sekerak had three assists apiece to lead the team. Carter also had two steals.

For the game, the Griffins shot 41% (25-61) while holding the Wildcats to just 26% shooting (13-50) from the field.   Chestnut Hill also outrebounded the Wilmington 49-30, including a 17-6 advantage on the offensive glass, scoring 15 second chance points to the Wildcats two.

The Chestnut Hill College Women's Basketball team will return to the hardwood on Saturday, January 8, 2022 when they host Felician University at Sorgenti Arena.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.