Wilkes University Athletics

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS

Steve Finkernagel

Mesaros scored a career-high 14 points at FDU-Florham on Wednesday evening

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEE'S FIRST HALF LEAD SLIP AWAY AT #7 FDU-FLORHAM

2/12/2014 8:32:00 PM

Box Score

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEE'S FIRST HALF LEAD SLIP AWAY VS. #7 FDU-FLORHAM

MADISON, NJ – Wilkes led the #7 ranked team in the country FDU-Florham 22-20 at halftime before seeing FDU pull away late in the second half as the Devils won 66-49.

With the defeat Wilkes drops to (5-17, 2-9 Freedom) while FDU remains unblemished at a perfect (22-0, 11-0 Freedom).

For the first 10 minutes of the game neither team was able to reach the 10 point plateau thanks in part to turnovers and missed shots. A Haley Mesaros (Royersford, PA/Pope John Paul II) 3-pointer gave Wilkes a 12-7 lead with 8:23 remaining in the half. Mesaros helped stretch the Lady Colonels lead to 19-12 when she made a layup and got fouled on the play, sinking the foul shot to give Wilkes their biggest lead of the night. FDU closed the half on an 8-3 run that brought the Devils within two points at the half, 22-20.

ilkes shot 9-for-26 (34.6%) from the field and was led by Mesaros's 11 points which were a career-high before the second half even started. FDU forced Wilkes into 14 first half turnovers however, they shot 6-for-31 (19.4%) from the field, 1-for-14 (7.1%) from 3-pont range and 7-for-14 (50.0%) from the foul line. The 20 point half was a season low for the Devils who average 81.8 points per-game and just the second time all season they trailed at half.

Wilkes and FDU exchanged baskets throughout the first 10 minutes with neither team being able to establish a comfortable lead. With Wilkes trailing by one 37-36, FDU went on a, 8-0 run that put them up 45-36 with 9:04 remaining in the game. Elena Stambone (Jessup, PA/Valley View) made two foul shots to stop the run and bring the Lady Colonels back within seven at 45-38. From that point in the game FDU would stretch the lead to 21 as they finished the game on a 21-11 run that carried them to the 17 point victory. Wilkes shot 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the field and 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the foul line in the second half; however, they committed 13 turnovers and 27 for the game that led to 19 Devils points. FDU shot 19-for-36 (52.8%) from two-point range and recorded 11 second half offensive rebounds (20 total) which accounted for 19 second chance points.

Mesaros led Wilkes offensively with a career high 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting effort from the field. Stambone finished with 12 points while Ellen Rich (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall) led the team with nine rebounds.

Five players scored in double digits for FDU with Leigh-Ann Lively paving the way with 12.

Wilkes will look to snap a three game slide when they head to Freedom Conference foe Eastern on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game from St. Davids, Pa.

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