Knapp's Career Day Helps Women’s Basketball To 76-63 Win

AURORA, N.Y. – Senior Kaitlynne Knapp (Port Byron, N.Y.) scored a career-high 23 points in her team's 76-63 victory over SUNY Cobleskill Sunday afternoon at the Farenthold Athletic Wing. Wells improves to 2-3 overall on the year and to 1-2 within the North Eastern Athletic Conference. SUNY Cobleskill drops to 1-4 overall while remaining winless in two league tilts.

Knapp's 23 points set a career-high mark, eclipsing the 21 she tallied against Keystone on Jan. 7, 2014. Junior Holli Erkson (Cooperstown, N.Y.) scored 19 points for the Express that includes a perfect 7-for-7 day at the free throw line, only the ninth time this has been accomplished by a Wells player dating back to the program's inception. The team's 20-for-25 (80%) is also the fifth-best in single game team history.

Junior Lindsay Achzet (Cooperstown, N.Y.) recorded her second-straight double-double, scoring 12 points while adding as many rebounds. Senior Cassie Smythe (Eden, N.Y.) scored 11 points and added five assists. Classmate Jessilyn Artaho-Aki (Kapa'a, Hawaii) assisted a team-high seven field goals for Wells.

Wells led from start to finish in Sunday's game versus the Fighting Tigers. Leading by six (27-21) with 4:01 remaining in the first half, Wells scored the game's next eight points to build a 14 point advantage. Tracy Anderson's jumper within the final 25 seconds cut her team's halftime deficit to 12 points as the Express carried a 35-23 lead into the locker room.

Shelby Preston opened the second half with a layup, but Wells outscored the Fighting Tigers by an 18-to-8 margin across the next 4:35 to open up a game-high 20 point lead following Erkson's first three-pointer of the day. The Fighting Tigers would cut the deficit to seven points, 65-58, with 3:10 remaining in regulation time but Erkson's second trey would reestablish a double-digit lead.

Preston had an outstanding game for SUNY Cobleskill, scoring 34 points after shooting 13-for-24 from the floor while hauling in 12 rebounds. Cassie Beaver ranked second on the team, scoring seven points. The Fighting Tigers outshot the Express by the slimmest of margins, 43.3% to 42.9%.

Wells returns to action Friday, Dec. 19 as they travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. to participate in the St. Petersburg Classic against Wis.-Lutheran at 1 p.m. The Express conclude their southern swing with an 8 p.m. contest versus Carthage on Saturday, Dec. 20.