PHOENIXVILLE, PA – The Cairn University Women's Basketball team picked up their second straight Skye Division victory on the road, Saturday afternoon, as they defeated the Patriots of University of Valley Forge in commanding fashion and completing the season sweep.
Cairn (9-6 / 5-4 United East Skye Division) was firing on all cylinders, opening with a 17-3 run that spanned most of the first quarter. Freshman guard
Makayla Raines (Jonesboro, GA / St. Mary's Academy) got things started with a three pointer followed by freshman guard
Ella Quince (Morrisville, PA / Morrisville HS) taking away a Patriot possession on a steal and fast break layup. Raines came up next with a jump shot before junior forward
Taylor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood HS) took over with two layups and a pair of free throws. The Highlanders closed the quarter with a 22-8 lead.
Valley Forge (0-15 / 0-10 United East Skye Division) opened up quarter two with 8 quick points on a pair of threes, cutting the Highlander lead to six points. Hinson would kick start the offense with a jump shot before assisting freshman forward
Dezaray Bright (Keystone Heights, FL / Keystone Heights HS) for a layup, putting the lead back to double-digits. A triple from Quince would spark a 9-3 run for Cairn before the Patriots knocked down a three of their own, shooting 6-8 from deep in the second quarter, the Highlanders taking a 42-30 lead into the break.
The second half began quiet before Raines hit from downtown about a minute and a half into play. It would be a tale of defenses for much of the third quarter with both squads in a scoring drought for about four minutes. Bright got fouled, splashing both free throws followed by a layup from junior forward
Favor Okpali (Prince George's County, MD / Hagerstown Community College) to give Cairn their largest lead thus far, closing the third stanza up 58-39.
After an early Valley Forge layup, Raines, Bright, and Quince would each add a layup to pile onto their twenty-point lead. Raines hit again from three-point range with Hinson making a pair of free throws to push the lead to 30 points. Junior guard
Abi Whitmore (Candor, NY / Little Tree School) got on the board with a layup as Cairn would get themselves on a 13-2 run in the closing minutes. Hinson would be put back on the line for a pair of free throws as she knocked down her 1,000
th career point on the first try. A free throw for senior center
Kyla Reciniello (Robbinsville, NJ / Robbinsville) put the finishing touches on an 84-50 win, marking a second-straight Skye Division victory for the Highlanders.
Raines led the way in the scoring column with 25 points, shooting 3-6 from behind the arc and swiping three steals. Hinson was the highlight of the afternoon adding 18 more points to her resume, including her 1,000
th career point. Bright recorded a career-high 13 points, marking her first game in double figures. Quince played to a 10-points, 13-rebound double-double. Freshman guard
T'miya Bryant (Raleigh, NC / South Garner High School) also had 10 points
The Highlanders shot 44.3% from the floor, including 52.9% in the fourth quarter alone. Cairn made the most of points off turnovers (25-11) & bench points (26-10) as well as dominating in the paint (42-14) and on the fast break (16-2), spelling a complete game effort to propel Cairn to a 32-point victory.
Cairn heads to Morristown, NJ on Tuesday as they take on the Saint Elizabeth Eagles for the first time this season, in pursuit of their third-straight tipping off at 6 p.m.
