Box Score PHILADELPHIA – Bria Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) scored a game-high 19 points as the Philadelphia University women's basketball team outlasted Chestnut Hill, 59-52, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest in Sorgenti Arena Monday night.
Philadelphia—a winner of seven in a row—improves to 13-5 overall and stays perfect against the conference with a 9-0 record. Chestnut Hill dips to 6-10 overall, 4-5 in CACC play.
The Rams went into the fourth quarter with a nine-point advantage (43-34). Chestnut Hill started the final quarter by hitting three straight 3-pointers to go on a 12-2 surge and take a 46-45 lead on a Mary Trossi free throw at the 6:58 mark.
After Rams' head coach Tom Shirley, who picked up his 696th career victory, called a timeout, Philadelphia made a defensive stand and Young went down the floor to make a layup that put the Rams back in front, 47-46. The layup was the beginning of a 9-2 run that would ultimately tip the game in the Rams' favor. Philadelphia's defense was the difference as it forced Chestnut Hill into 1-of-8 shooting and three turnovers.
With the game tied at six, Mary Newell (Lansdale, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) knocked down a jumper and then hit two free throws to give the Rams a 10-6 lead at the 3:18 mark of the first quarter. The Griffins came back to outscore the Rams 9-2 over the duration of the quarter to lead 15-12 after one.
Philadelphia faced its largest deficit of the game at the 6:58 mark of the second quarter when a Caity Kuhnen bucket made the score 19-15. Tori Arnao (Newtown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) hit a layup to start a 12-1 run that would span the next 6:21 and put the Rams up 27-20. Five different Rams scored during the run, led by four points from Young.
After being held scoreless for the first 2:20 of the third, Newell and Arnao each sunk a layup to push the Philadelphia advantage to 31-22. Jackie McCarron (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) capped a 6-0 spurt with a layup at the 3:37 mark to extend the lead to a game-high 12 points (41-29).
Newell finished the contest with 16 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Arnao racked up 10 points, 12 boards, three steals, and one assist for her 12th double-double of the season. McCarron came off the bench to record six points, four rebounds, and a career-high six assists.
Kuhnen was Chestnut Hill's top scorer with 14 points, while Jaeda Wildgoose had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Philadelphia shot 35.8 percent from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Chestnut Hill hit 37.5 percent of its shots and just six of its 14 free throw attempts.
The Rams return to action with a CACC contest at Goldey-Beacom on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.
