Box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Kate Dellinger came off the Widener University bench to post game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Pride defeated Elizabethtown College 75-67 in Commonwealth Conference women's basketball action Saturday at the Schwartz Center.
The Pride (13-10 overall, 9-3 Commonwealth) took advantage of a 35-4 differential in free-throw attempts to clinch a conference playoff berth for the seventh time in eight years, while sending the Blue Jays (6-15 overall, 2-9 Commonwealth) to their fourth straight loss.
Four players scored in double figures for Widener, which went 26-for-35 from the foul line while Elizabethtown finished just 2-for-4 in the contest. The Blue Jays were whistled for 22 fouls while the Pride were called 11 times.
Courtney Kofeldt led the Blue Jays with 17 points and added six assists, while
Stephanie Ellwood added 13 points and a game-high seven assists and
Kelly Sauerzopf tallied a season-high 10 points and pulled five boards for Elizabethtown.
Joining Dellinger in double figures for Widener were Becky Tyler (13 points), Lindsey Isler (11 points, six assists) and Alex Held (10 points), as the Pride overcame a nine-point first-half deficit and went 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final 1:35.
After Widener took a 17-12 lead on a three-pointer by Dellinger with 14:02 left in the first half, the Blue Jays scored 20 of the next 26 points to take their largest lead of the game at 32-23 following a three-pointer by
Megan Strohman with 7:15 left in the half.
Widener fought back to tie the score at 38-38 on a jumper by Dellinger just before the halftime buzzer, which gave her a game-high 16 points to that point. Ellwood led the Blue Jays with 11 points in the first half, as Elizabethtown shot an even 50 percent (16-for-32) from the field and went 6-for-11 from three-point range.
The teams swapped the lead several times in the first seven minutes of the second half, with Elizabethtown holding its last advantage at 45-43 following a three-pointer by Kofeldt with 14:01 to play. Dellinger put Widener on top for good at 46-45 with a three-pointer at the 13:05 mark.
Widener led 66-57 with 3:19 to play, but the Blue Jays'
Nadine Yunginger hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to 66-63 with 2:29 left. Despite not making attempting a field goal over the final 3:35, Widener went 11-for-12 at the foul line over that span to put the game out of reach.
Yunginger finished with a season-high eight points in 16 minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays, while fellow sub
Ali Jury chipped in with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. Despite their efforts, the Widener bench outscored the Elizabethtown bench 39-16 thanks to Dellinger.