LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's basketball team won, 66-57 at home against Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) opponent University of Valley Forge on Saturday, marking their third-straight victory.
Cairn (6-5, 4-2 CSAC) fell into a hole early, as some hot shooting by Valley Forge (2-6, 2-3 CSAC) got the Patriots out to a 12-3 lead just over five minutes into the contest. However, the Highlanders closed the quarter on a 16-5 run, boosted by nine points from freshman
Taylor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood HS) and seven points in that stretch by senior
Dakota Hitchner (Ocean City, NJ / Atlantic Christian) to keep the Highlanders within one possession at the end of the first quarter (19-17). Hitchner and Hinson kept the Highlanders in the game in the first half, scoring 13 a-piece of the Highlanders 26 total points and Cairn trailed 28-26 at intermission.
The third stanza proved to be the decisive one, as the Highlanders started the quarter on a 7-0 run to take their first lead since the first frame. The Highlanders led 44-37 after three. In the final period, Cairn extended its lead to its largest of the contest at 14 points three separate times. However, the Patriots hung around and cut the deficit to just six (60-54) with just over one minute remaining. Hitchner proceeded to score the final six points of the contest for Cairn to ice the game for the Highlanders.
Cairn shot 36.5% (23-63) from the field compared to 29.3% (22-75) for the Patriots. Cairn knocked down 81.0% (17-21) of their attempts from the charity stripe and forced 20 Valley Forge turnovers, scoring 20 points off those turnovers.
Cairn was led offensively by Hitchner, who deposited a game-high 25 points and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe. Hitchner also ripped down a team-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Hitchner currently sits at 997 points scored in her career and needs three to become the 16
th Cairn women's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. Hinson followed by tying a season-high with 20 points and was one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards. Hitchner and Hinson accounted for all of the Highlanders' points scored in the first half.
Cairn now have a short break until it is back on the court on Saturday, January 8 when it takes on Saint Elizabeth University in a conference contest on the road at 1 p.m.
