SCRANTON, PA – The Cairn women's basketball team faced off against the Marywood Pacers in their first Colonial States Athletic Conference matchup of the season today. The Highlanders could not hold on as the game slipped away with the Pacers winning by a final score of 49-75.
 
 
In the first half, the Highlanders were plagued by a couple big runs from the Pacers that shifted momentum and stretched the Marywood lead. However, whenever the game would start to slip fully away, Victoria Stum acted as a spark plug and used her soft touch around the basket to bring the game back into reach. In the first two periods, Stum tallied 8 points and 4 rebounds, while Aigner Bookard chipped in with 6 and 5 of her own. The Highlanders trailed by a score of 22-36 at the end of the first half.
 
 
The Highlanders improved their offensive and defensive efforts in the second half, but it was simply not enough to overcome the Pacers' prodigious attack. The Cairn defense forced Marywood into 10 turnovers in the second half, and the offense matched Marywood, shooting 33.3% from three. While the Highlanders did eventually lose the contest, there are many positives to take away. Cairn's offense was driven by the Stum sisters as Victoria Stum posted a season high 16 points for the Highlanders, and Kendra Stum added to that with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists as well. Additionally, Kendra Stum and Aigner Bookard tallied 5 and 4 steals respectively to lead the Highlanders defensively.
 
 
Cairn tied their season record for most points scored and will look to keep improving as the season continues. The women are headed back for a three game home-stand including a conference matchup against Cabrini on Wednesday December 6^th. The Highlanders will meet with Davis College this Monday at 6:00 PM.