WILKES-BARRE – Kendrea Williams scored a game-high 19 points leading four Devils in double figures as visiting FDU-Florham posted an 87-58 MAC Freedom victory over Wilkes University Wednesday night in the Marts Center.
 
With the defeat Wilkes slipped to 4-7 overall and 0-1 in league games while FDU-Florham, the four-time defending conference champions, improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in league contests.
 
Wilkes opened the game showing little rust after a 25-day stretch off jumping out to a 7-0 lead. A three-pointer from Catey McFadden (Doylestown, PA/Archbishop Wood) followed by buckets from Haley Mesaros (Royersford, PA/Pope John Paul II) and Emily Sofranko (Jim Thorpe, PA/Marian Catholic) put the Lady Colonels ahead early in the first quarter. FDU-Florham responded with a score in transition, they used a 38-11 run over the games' next 14 minutes to take a twenty-point lead midway through the second period. The teams traded baskets before McFadden scored in the paint late in the second quarter to cut the Devils advantage to 45-27 at the break.
 
FDU-Florham pushed its advantage to thirty points leading 57-27 with 6:35 left in the third quarter using a 10-0 run to start the frame. The Devils lead ballooned to over forty late in the third before Wilkes chipped away over the final ten minutes outscoring FDU-Florham 22-7 in the final quarter. Caster scored six of her game-high 12 points in the final frame for Wilkes.
 
Mesaros joined Caster in double figures finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. Gianna Roberts (Nanticoke, PA/Nanticoke) came off the bench to contribute nine points and five rebounds. Wilkes struggled taking care of the basketball finishing with a season-high 31 turnovers leading to 36 FDU-Florham points.
 
Taiah Thornton scored 17 points and added five assists while Alyssa McDonough chipped in 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Raven Dowling rounded out the Devils double figure scorers with 11 points and a team-best eight assists.
 
Wilkes takes to the road Saturday for the first time in conference play with a matchup at Manhattanville College at 1:00 p.m. in Purchase, N.Y.