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Ruggear's Double Propels Devils to Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington U. (Del.) (2-22, 1-18 CACC) | 18 | 17 | 35 |
| Univ. of the Sciences (17-10, 13-6 CACC) | 31 | 28 | 59 |
| Philadelphia, Pa. (Morgan Arena) | |||
| Wilmington U. (Del.) | Univ. of the Sciences |
|---|---|
| Pts: 2 Players (#03, #10 - 7) | Pts: Becca Ruggear - 21 |
| Reb: MOORE, Erin - 9 | Reb: Becca Ruggear - 15 |
| Ast: COLEMAN, Courtney - 2 | Ast: Sarah Hickman - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Wilmington U. (Del.) | Univ. of the Sciences |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 23.5% (12-51 ) | 39.3% (24-61 ) |
| Rebounds | 29 | 54 |
| Assists | 6 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 24 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 12 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 13 |
Becca Ruggear recorded her sixth double double of the season as the University of the Sciences women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 59-35 win over Wilmington University at the Bobby Morgan Arena Tuesday night.
The Devils improve to 17-10 overall and finish the regular season with a 13-6 record in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Devils will face Felician College in the CACC Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Wilmington ends their season with a 2-22 record overall and a 1-18 conference mark. With the win, Sciences also improves to 12-0 when giving up 60 or less points per game.
Ruggear scored a game high 21 points (9-13 FG, 3-6 FT), grabbed 15 rebounds had six blocked shots and dished out three assists in an efficient 26 minutes of play. Brianne Traub added 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior Sarah Hickman, playing in the final home game of her career grabbed ten rebounds, had four assists three steals and a blocked shot.
Lauren Brown and Erin Moore had seven points apiece for the Wildcats. Moore also grabbed nine rebounds.
Wilmington led briefly 4-3 before the Devils came alive with a 25-3 run to put the game firmly in their control. Ruggear got 13 of her 16 first half points in during the spurt and Elsebeth Birman's three point field goal capped the run, giving the devils a 29-7 lead with 5:57 left in the period. Wilmington battled back with an 11-2 spurt to close out the half and narrow the gap to 31-18 at the break.
Sciences limited the Wildcats to just four free throws over the first ten minutes of the second half, building the lead back up to 27 with a 16-4 spurt to start the half. Traub scored the first six points of the run and after a pair of free throws by Brown, Edwards added a layup and Ruggear a traditional three-point play to put the Devils ahead 42-22. Two free throws from Hickman and another three point play, this one from Jessica Sylvester followed before Kaitlyn Schmid capped off the run with a fast break layup at the 11:23 mark. Wilmington's Courtney Coleman got the Wildcats first field goal of the half midway through the period and Brown followed with a triple to close the gap to 22, 49-27 with 6:44 left. However baskets from Ruggear, Edwards and Traub pushed the lead to their biggest margin, 55-27 with 5:05 left. Wilmington shaved just four points off the lead in the final five minutes, making the final score 59-35.
The Devils held the Wildcats to just 23.5% shooting from the field (12-51). It is their third straight game in which they held an opponent under 33%. Sciences is 10-0 in games when their opponent shoots 33% or less from the field. The Devils shot 39.3% (24-61) from the field, despite a 1-14 effort from three-point range. Both teams were nearly identical from the free throw line (USci 10-18, WU 9-15). the Devils held a huge 54-29 advantage on the glass and had a slight advantage with 17 turnovers to Wilmington's 18. Sciences however took full advantage of the Wildcat miscues producing a 24-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Felician College is up next for the Devils in the CACC Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. in Rutherford, New Jersey.
