Fourth Quarter struggles continued for the Chestnut Hill College women's Basketball team as Daemen University pulled away late to record a 73-53 win Thursday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena.
The Griffins fall to 1-5 with the loss. The Wildcats, who just last season made a trip to the NCAA D2 Elite Eight, improve to 2-3 on the season.
Bridie McCann and Tiayo Adelekan led the Griffins with ten points apiece. Bri Rider and Avery White added nine points apiece while Kaya Mobley chipped in eight.
Rider led the team with 11 rebounds while Adelekan added seven. White had seven assists with Mobley adding three.
The Wildcats outscored the Griffins 24-10 in the final period, marking the second straight game that Chestnut Hill was outscored by double digits in the final quarter.
The fourth quarter performance all but negated a solid first quarter from the Griffins, as the team shot 58.3% (7-12) from the field while making two three-point baskets to grab a 16-11 lead after one period. McCann's basket to open the second quarter increased Chestnut Hill's lead to seven, 18-11 before the Wildcats started to chip away, taking their first lead, 28-27 with 2:36 left on a Cecilia Lapertosa three-pointer following a Griffin turnover. Siobhan Boylan sank a three-point with a minute left to put the Griffins back on top 30-28, but the Wildcats scored twice in the final 36 seconds including a shot at the buzzer to lead 32-30 at the half.
Two lead changes occurred in the third quarter but neither team could pull away with their respective leads oscillating between one and three points until the 2:29 mark when Nevaeh Buntley sank a three-point basket to put the Wildcats up five 44-39. After White brought the Griffins within three, Danielle Dicintio's three-ball with 49 seconds left gave Daemen a 49-43 lead which they took into the fourth quarter.
Rider scored the first Griffin points of the fourth quarter, pulling her team within five 50-45. The Wildcats then exploded with an 11-0 uprising to take a 61-45 lead before Mobley broke the CHC drought with a driving layup at the 3:43 mark.  Mobley's second layup with 1:109 left pulled Chestnut Hill within 11, 64-53 but the Wildcats closed out the game with nine straight points.
DiCintio led Daemen with 22 points (6 three's) while Raposo and Lapertosa added 14 and 13 respectively. Lapertosa had 16 rebounds to lead all players, including nine on the offensive glass.
Turnover and giving up offensive rebounds proved to be the Griffins undoing as the team turned the ball over 25 times while Daemen secured 26 offensive boards (28-11 advantage) and also out-rebounded the Griffins, 44-42.  The wildcats took advantage of the turnovers and their second chance opportunities, outscoring the Griffins 27-5 in the points off turnovers category and 17-5 in second chance points. Daemen also connected on 11 three point shots while Chestnut Hill made just four.
The women's basketball team returns to action for the first of five straight road games as they travel north to face St. Thomas Aquinas college on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
