Newark, Del. – Junior Toni Deren (Greenlawn, N.Y.) scored 25 points - including 14 in the fourth quarter - leading the Post University women's basketball team to an 88-84 win over Wilmington in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game on Saturday afternoon.
With the Eagles up 56-54 very early the fourth, Deren rattled off eight straight points for the Eagles – including two three pointers – as part of a 12-7 run that gave them a 68-61 lead with 6:21 remaining in the quarter.
Deren would finish with three three-pointers in the quarter and the Eagles hit 13 of 14 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. Deren's classmate, Lauren Chambers (Lebanon, Pa.) hit all ten of her free-throw attempts including going 6-for-6 in the final 1:01 of the game.
As close as the game was, the two teams only exchanged leads twice throughout the game early on in the first quarter. With the Eagles (7-16, 6-11 CACC) down 9-8 with 3:42 left, Deren hit a three, followed by a layup by junior Gabriela Middleton (Coral Springs, Fla.) to give the Eagles a 13-9 lead. Post would finish the quarter leading 19-15. Classmate Kiana Nichols (Newburgh, N.Y.) was 3-for-3 from the field in the first quarter.
Post extended its lead to 40-27 at the half as Nichols continued her hot shooting going 3-for-4 in the second quarter. The Eagles opened up with a 13-3 run to begin the quarter as five different Eagles scored during the stretch, including five points from Deren. Post extended its lead to by as much as 16 (38-22) in the first half.
The Wildcats offense came alive in the third quarter going 11-for-18 to cut the Eagles lead to 56-52 going into the fourth.
Nichols finished with 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting. Chambers came close to her first triple-double, with 12 points, ten assists and eight rebounds. Graduate student Jasmyne Fogle (Bridgeport, Conn.) had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles outrebounded the Wildcats (6-20, 3-14 CACC), 44-31 and scored 14 points off of 18 offensive rebounds. Led by Deren, the Eagles bench outscored Wilmington's, 31-2.
Jadyn Whitsitt and Nyree Grant each scored 22 points to lead Wilmington.
Up next for the Eagles is a CACC home game as they take on Caldwell on February 21 at 5:30 p.m.
