WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Cairn University women's basketball team lost, 70-63 at non-conference foe Trinity University (DC) on the road on Friday evening.
Cairn (2-2) came out of the gates looking good, settling into a 13-9 lead after freshman
Kailee Sobrino (Vail, AZ / Empire HS) knocked down a three with 2:38 left in the first quarter. Cairn led 13-12 over Trinity (2-3) after one. In the second frame, the Highlanders got their lead up to 6 (28-22) after Sobrino buried another triple with 4:03 left in the half, but the Tigers hung around and got the deficit to just one (34-33) at the end of the first half. In the third, both teams traded leads and the Highlanders maintained their one-point advantage (49-48) heading into the fourth. The Tigers got the better of the Highlanders in the final stanza, grabbing a four-point lead (62-58) with 3:44 remaining. Cairn made things interesting with a turnaround three-pointer by senior
Dakota Hitchner (Ocean City, NJ / Atlantic Christian) to cut the deficit to one (62-61) on the very next possession, but Trinity closed the game on an 8-2 run to secure the victory.
Trinity out shot the Highlanders in the contest 46.9% (30-64) to 30.3% (23-76) and narrowly bested Cairn in the rebounding department (47-44). The Highlanders forced 23 turnovers on the Tigers and scored 27 points off of those turnovers.
Cairn was led offensively by Hitchner, who totaled a team-high 14 points and a game-high five steals. Freshmen
Taylor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood HS) and
Tamia Warner (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) each followed with 12 points. Hinson posted a double double with 11 rebounds, while Warner hauled in nine boards. Sobrino finished with 10 points, while senior
Markie Watson (Jupiter, FL / Holy Cross Academy) chipped in nine points. Hitchner, Watson and Sobrino each dished out a team-high three assists.
Cairn will be back on the court on Tuesday, November 23 when it makes its long-awaited home debut inside the Mason Activity Center against Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Wilson College at 6 p.m.
