Team Effort Lifts Women's Basketball Against Wilson

AURORA, N.Y. – All 11 players on the roster registered at least two points as the Wells College women's basketball team posted a 68-22 victory over Wilson College Thursday evening at the Farenthold Athletic Wing. The Express move to 3-9 overall on the season and to 2-5 within North Eastern Athletic Conference play. Wilson (1-11, 0-9 NEAC) recorded their 11th loss of the year.

Senior Kaitlynne Knapp (Port Byron, N.Y.) led the way with 18 points for Wells, falling one rebound short of a double-double with nine. Freshman Kamarie Maturine (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored nine points for the Express, hauling in seven rebounds. Junior Brooke Benedetto (Williamstown, N.Y.) scored a career-high eight points and assisted three Wells field goals while classmate Lindsay Achzet (Johnstown, N.Y.) picked up eight rebounds in only 17 minutes of action.

Wells posted 23 steals a team, setting the single game record in that statistic. Freshman Yanna Ososkalo (Lyme, N.Y.) posted six for the Express, ranking fifth all-time for most steals in one contest while falling only two shy of tying senior Jessilyn Artaho-Aki's (Kapa'a, Hawaii) record of eight against Wilson on Feb. 9, 2012. In that game during the 2011-12 season, the Express posted 22 team takeaways against the Phoenix.

The Express trailed by a 5-0 margin through the game's first 1:27 as Miranda Long's three-point basket preceded a layup by Amber Jones. Wells would take the lead for good, however, as a Knapp layup with 14:35 left in the opening frame granted her team the 6-5 advantage. From that point forward, the Express would score 24 of the game's next 30 points to carry a 30-11 lead into halftime.

Before a Long trey with 4:27 left in regulation time, Wells had outscored the Phoenix by a 29-5 margin across just over 14 minutes of action. From 16:59 of the second half to 4:38, the Express outscored Wilson 25-to-2 and used only free throws and layups to compile that streak. The Phoenix shot 9-for-47 (19.1%) from the floor in the game, connecting on only four field goals in the final 20 minutes.

Morgan Wonders led all Wilson players with six points while hauling in an impressive 10 rebounds. Long added six points of her own, converting two of her team's three field goals from beyond the arc.

Wells faces-off against the Chargers from Lancaster Bible College Saturday, Jan. 24 at high noon in what is a rematch of last season's NEAC Championship game. The Express were able to eke out the 67-60 victory against Lancaster Bible, claiming their first-ever NEAC Championship in the process.