ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University women's basketball team headed into the holiday break in style, picking up a dominant 73-55 win over visiting Penn State Abington on Wednesday evening.
Nafisa Saunders led the way for Neumann, registering a double-double with a team-high 24 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Mariah Maciejewski also tallied a double-double, notching 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Neumann came out of the gates strong in the game's opening quarter and set the tone for what would be a comfortable win. A layup from Saunders at the 4:02 mark of the first frame capped off a 15-2 run from the Knights to open the game. The Nittany Lions tried to claw their way back into the contest late in the quarter, but Neumann cruised to a 21-12 lead after one.
Penn State Abington would close the lead to six at the 7:03 mark of the second quarter, but it would be all Knights from there. Using six points from Saunders in the quarter, Neumann responded with a 17-8 run to close the half and take a commanding 40-25 lead to the halftime intermission.
The Knights continued to build on their lead in the third period of play. The trio of Saunders, Maciejewski and
Minika Glenn combined for 14 points in the quarter as Neumann continued to extend its lead. A three point play from
Kristen Denoncour late in the period capped off another Knights' rally, leading the team into the fourth and final quarter with a 19 point lead (57-38).
Neumann continued to keep its foot on the pedal in the fourth quarter, opening the lead to as much as 28 points. Saunders continued to be the catalyst for the Knights on offense, scoring eight fourth quarter points on her way to a game-high 24 points on the night. The Nittany Lions rallied late, but the damage had already been done as the Knights coasted to the convincing 73-55 win.
Neumann (7-4) heads to the holiday break before returning to the court on Wednesday, January 3
rd for a home Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) matchup versus Immaculata University. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
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