GLENSIDE, PA – Trailing by two after the first quarter, host Arcadia University outscore the visiting Wilkes University women's basketball team 42-26 over the second and third quarters then held on to a 71-60 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom victory Saturday afternoon.
 
Wilkes dropped to 3-11 overall and 2-3 in league play while Arcadia improved to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in conference contests.
 
Wilkes scored the game's first six points thanks to buckets from Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) and Kendra Smith (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville). Arcadia answered back and eventually tied the game at eight before another driving layup from Matos put the Colonels ahead 10-9 with 4:22 left in the opening quarter. An old-fashioned three-point play from Nadia Evanosky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) followed by a Julianna Askins (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle) score kept Wilkes ahead 15-12 with just over two minutes left in the stanza. Another Matos score gave Wilkes a five point cushion before the Knights closed out the frame scoring three straight points with the Colonels leading 17-15.
 
Arcadia nailed back-to-back threes before sinking two free  throws to take a 25-21 lead with 5:42 left in the first half. The lead grew to six before a Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) layup ended a short scoring drought for the Colonels trailing 30-28 with 2:!5 left until the break. Arcadia notched five straight points before another inside score from Babcock as time expired sent the game to the break with the Knights holding a 35-30 advantage.
 
Arcadia took its largest lead of the game, 38-30, to start the third when the Knights drilled a three-pointer on its first possession. The advantage was short-lived as Wilkes responded with threes from Horton (2X) and Askins to tie the game at 42 with 5:42 left in the third. Arcadia slowly built its lead back including a 53-42 advantage following a 11-0 run over the next two and a half minutes of play. A layup and two more free throws finished off the scoring barrage from the Knights in the third taking a 57-43 lead into the final quarter of play.
 
Arcadia kept its double digit lead midway through the final period before a three-pointer from Brianna Horton (Verona, NJ/Verona) and layup from Matos brought the Colonels to within five trailing 63-58 with 3:11 on the clock. The Knights answered with a score on its ensuing possession then notched nine straight points to walk away with the 11-point home victory.
 
Matos led two Colonels in double figures finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Babcock followed with 10 points and four rebounds while Horton chipped in nine points on 3-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
Mara Weaver topped all scorers with a game-high 23 points to lead Arcadia on the day. Dayna Balasa and Maria Tully each contributed 10 points. Arcadia used the deep ball throughout the game making five more threes then Wilkes shooting 50 percent from downtown.
 
The Colonels return home Wednesday when they host local rival Misericordia University for an 8:00 p.m. MAC Freedom matchup at the Marts Center.