Strong Board Play Lifts Women’s Basketball To 73-56 Victory

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Sparked by a program record 72 total rebounds, the Wells College women's basketball team posted a 73-56 victory over the Phoenix of Wilson College Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Express tie a program record with six North Eastern Athletic Conference victories (6-2) while also improving to 7-9 overall on the season. The Phoenix fall to 0-8 within league play and to 2-9 overall on the year.

Junior Ashley Roser (Taberg, N.Y.) tallied her 50th career double-double by recording 23 points and 18 total rebounds on the game. Sophomore Jessilyn Artaho-Aki (Kapaa, Hawaii), the reigning NEAC Rookie of the Year, recorded her first career double-double by posting 11 rebounds alongside 10 points. Junior Kristen Ryan (Syracuse, N.Y.) was a rebound removed from a double-double, scoring 12 points and nine boards.

The Express not only trailed entering halftime, they trailed by an 11 point margin with 13:29 remaining in the opening stanza following an Ashlee Yealy jumper that capped off an 8-0 run for the Phoenix. Wells, however, scored the game's next eight points to keep the hosts within striking distance. The Express captured their first lead with 5:36 remaining in the first, utilizing an Artaho-Aki jumper to take a 21-20 lead.

From that point, both teams tied the score three times while changing the lead twice. For the Phoenix, Tara Fields converted all four of her free throws in the final minute to help secure a 28-27 lead at the half. The Express scored 15 of their 27 points off of second chance opportunities, using 20 offensive rebounds in the first half alone to account for the majority of their damage.

After trading two point baskets to open the second half, Morgan Wonders converted a jump shot only 57 seconds into the second half to capture a 32-29 lead for the home team. However, the Express scored the game's next eight points to capture a 37-32 lead of which they would not relinquish. Wells held the Phoenix off of the scoreboard for the game's final 2:33 as they built up a game-high 17 point lead as time expired.

For the Phoenix, Yealy led the way with 19 total points. Fields ranked second on the squad with 16 to her credit, burying all six of her free throw opportunities. Vanessa Whitfield utilized a 7-for-12 performance from the field to account for 15 of her team's 56 points.

The Express return to action Wednesday, Jan. 23 as they open a three game home stand against the Mustangs of Morrisville State College at 5:00 p.m. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).