Strong shooting and solid defense led to a 71-32 victory for the Chestnut Hill College Women's Basketball team defeated Wilmington University in the conference opener for both teams at the WU Athletic Complex in Newark, Delaware.

The Griffins improve to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in Central Atlantic Collegiate conference games.  The Wildcats fall to 0-7 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Bridie McCann led three Chestnut Hill players in double figures with 17 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 FT).  Caraline Herb added a career-high 13 points (5-6 FG, 2-3 3FG) while Avery White chipped in 12 and Lindsey Lane eight. Bri Rider led the team with nine rebounds while Caleigh Edwards and Kaitlyn Carter grabbed seven apiece.  Edwards led the team with six assists.

The Griffins shot 50% (28-56) from the field including a 9-23 effort from beyond the three-point arc.

Defensively, the Griffins held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 13:48 of the game and to just 18.2% (10-55) shooting from the field.  Chestnut Hill held the Wildcats to single digits in the first two quarters and zero points in the fourth quarter. 

Three-point baskets from McCann and White and a mid-range jumper from Rider staked the Griffins to an 8-0 lead.  Herb added her first three-ball of the game with three minutes left in the first period to give the Griffins a double-digit lead and start a 9-2 run to end the period with a 21-7 lead.

Herb's second three-pointer late in the second quarter extended the Griffins' lead to 20, 31-11 and another three-ball, this one from Edwards pushed the lead to 22, 36-14 with less than a minute left.

The Griffins connected on six of 11 shots from the field with five different players making field goals as the Griffins extended their lead to 25, 57-32 heading into the final quarter.

Lane started a string of 14 straight points in the fourth quarter with a turnaround jumper in the paint.  Sara Tamoun had a driving layup and Carter and McCann followed with three-point buckets.  Emily Sekerak added a layup and McCann closed out the scoring with a layup in the final seconds.

The women's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, December 2, 2023 when they host nationally ranked Jefferson University at Sorgenti Arena.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.