The women’s basketball team finished the match against Muhlenberg 76-51 to improve to 1-0 in season and 3-0 overall
By Jensyn Hartzell
Elm Staff Writer
Washington College Women’s Basketball had a historic week. They traveled to Notre Dame of Maryland on Wednesday, and Muhlenberg College came to the shore on Saturday.
On Wednesday against the Gators, the Shorewomen scored a record high of 31 points in the first quarter, which led to a final score of 76-51. The team passed their previous first quarter score by five points to beat their personal record. The previous record for the most points in the first quarter was 21 versus Ursinus in 2019.
In the game, WC did not break their lead once. They started off 13-0 in the first 3:30 of the game on a run that was continued by senior Cassidy Quattro’s free throws.
The women continued to dominate the first quarter, leaving the score at 31-4. With six seconds left in the first, senior Caitlyn Clark gained two points on a lay-up to finalize their lead of 27 points.
In the second quarter, the Shorewomen achieved their largest lead over the Gators, 30, when sophomore Crystal Jones made two free throws with 6:02 left.
The Gators fought back at the end of the quarter, surprisingly outscoring Washington by 13-3. At the half, the score was 41-21. The Shorewomen put themselves back together and once again outscored Notre Dame at 14-12, making the score 55-33 at the end of the third.
The lead over the Gators only grew from there as WC outscored Notre Dame again by 16-6.
WC ended the game with a 25-point lead, which they consistently had throughout the game.
Clark had a career high of 21 points for herself in the game along with four assists; she had the leading points amounts as well. Quattro and Jones were right behind her scoring 11 and 10 points. Senior Taylor Samuels managed nine rebounds and had a personal best of three blocks.
Sophomore Madeline Williams said, “Everyone has been working really hard and the whole team is super excited about the rest of the season.”
Their hard work has proven on Saturday, when the Shorewomen beat Muhlenberg for the first time in 10 years. Although the Mules started with a lead of 13 points in the first quarter, the Shorewomen were able to go on a 13-2 run.
The second quarter started at 14-16, but WC was able to break the Mules lead for the first time in the game with a three-pointer from Jones.
At halftime, the score was tied at 22-22. The lead was taken back by the Mules in the third quarter, but this did not last long as the Shorewomen went on an 8-0 run.
Freshman Lizzie Hudock made a jump shot to finalize their lead at the end of the third quarter at 36-29. The game continued to keep fans on the edge of their seats as Muhlenberg went on another run of the game, racking up nine points and tying the game at 38-38 in the fourth quarter.
Seniors Rosie Martin and Bridget McLaughlin made layups and free throws to gain and keep the Shorewomen’s lead on the court. The game ended with a final score of 50-46.
Jones had a personal career high and game high of 13 points paired with being named the Goose Nation TV Shorewomen of the Game.
The team will play again on Tuesday against Delaware Valley in Cain Gymnasium.