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Shaw Leads Devils to Twelfth Straight Win
Caitlin Shaw's near perfect night led four University of the Sciences women's basketball players in double figures as the Devils defeated Philadelphia University 69-64 Tuesday night at the Gallagher Center in Roxborough for their 12th straight win.
The Devils are now 18-4 overall and 14-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate conference games, solidifying their hold on second place in the CACC south standings. The Lady Rams drop to 12-11 overall and 8-8 in league play.
Shaw (Monmouth Regional HS/Eatontown, N.J.) made her first 10 shots from the field and did not miss until there was just 2:41 left in the game. She finished the game shooting 11 of 12 from the field and added three free throws for a game-high 25 points. She also pulled down ten rebounds to record her tenth double-double of the season.
Joining Shaw in double figures were Marissa Chesnavich (Bishop O'Reilly HS/Pittston, Pa.) (14 points), Alyssa Hamm (Academy Park HS/Sharon Hill, Pa.)(14 points, all in the second half) and Colleen Christian (Central Bucks South HS/Warrington, Pa.) (12 points, nine assists, six rebounds).
Taylor Magnus led the Lady Rams with 19 points while Christine Wooding added 16 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Steph Agger added 10 points.
Philadelphia came out on fire in the opening minutes of the game, jumping out to an 11-2 lead capped by a Wooding layup – and one. Sciences countered with a 12-2 spurt which started and ended with a 3-ball from Christian to retake the lead 14-13. A layup from PU's Kate Brennan and another free throw from Wooding put the hosts back up by two 16-14 before another run by the Devils, this one a 10-4 uprising gave the Devils their biggest lead of the half 24-18 with 8:46 left. Shaw scored the last two baskets of the run, her first points of the game. PU closed the gap to two on several occasions before the Devils settled in four a three-point lead at the break.
Chesnavich opened the second half with a short jumper in the paint to widen the gap to five before baskets by Agger and Magnus closed the gap to one. The Devils still led by one, 37-36 when Hamm ignited the offense hitting two three-point field goals in what became a 10-0 run by the Devils who took a 47-36 lead with 15:43 left. Later in the half, with the Devils still leading by 11, Magnus nailed two 'treys' to pull the Lady Rams within five 50-45 with 10:48 left. Another run by the Devils, this time a 10-5 one, boosted the lead back to ten 60-50 with 7:31 left. Two more 'threes' from Hamm highlighted the run. PU had one more run left in them, scoring six straight points to shave the lead to four 64-60 at the 3:29 mark. A layup from Shaw followed and Wooding then sank four free throws to complete a 10-2 spurt and pull the Philadelphia within two, 66-64 with 53 seconds left. Chesnavich then made one of two free throws with 41.4 seconds left to keep the game a one-possession affair but the Rams missed three straight shots before Christian grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 10.8 seconds left. The senior forward calmly sank two free throws to put the game out of reach. Brennan's three-point attempt was short as the Devils hung on for the 69-64 win.
The Devils held a sold shooting advantage (56.3% to 38.7%) and dominated on the glass (38-24). Sciences made two more three-pointers (6-4) while the Rams held a slight advantage on the free throw line (12-16 to 9-13). USciences strong shooting effort offset a night where they committed 24 turnovers which led to 24 PU points. The Lady Rams meanwhile had half as many miscues (12) while producing a decent assist/turnover mark. (11/12).
The Devils return to action on Thursday, February 17, 2011 when the host Washington Adventist University in a non-conference game at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
