LANGHORNE, PA – The Cairn University Women's Basketball team hosted the Cedar Crest College Falcons on Saturday afternoon inside the Mason Activity Center for a key Skye Division matchup. Cairn would outpace the Falcons 80-51 behind a record breaking performance from freshman guard Makayla Raines.
 
With the victory, Cairn Women's Basketball secured their first 10-win season since 2018-2019. Head Coach Allen Kuiper had the following to say on the result: "I am proud of the women tonight. We are starting to understand the importance of each possession and its beginning to show." Kuiper also remarked on Raines' performance, saying: "Makayla is the definition of watching 'greatness unfold'. She is a gifted player and I am glad that she plays for Cairn".
 
Here's how it went down:
 
Cedar Crest (7-9 / 6-7 United East Skye Division) won the tip and took off to the tune of a quick 6-2 run. Raines got things started for the Highlanders with a fastbreak layup and found freshman forward Dezaray Bright (Keystone Heights, FL / Keystone Heights HS) in the paint for an easy bucket to tie things up. With the Falcon offensive in rhythm, freshman forward Amalia Vamvakitis (Waterford, MI / Mount Dora Christian Academy) would knock down a pair of free throws to get Cairn (10-7 / 6-5) behind only three to end the first quarter.
 
Raines hit from inside the paint out of the gate to make it a one-point game until freshman guard Ella Quince (Morrisville, PA / Morrisville) splashed a jumper to give Cairn a 16-15 lead, sparking a 31-6 Highlander run in the quarter. Raines would shoot 3-3 from deep in the frame, scoring 20 of Cairn's 31 points and providing a 44-21 lead into halftime.
 
In the third, Cedar Crest would cut the deficit as close as 16 with an early triple, not being able to extinguish the Highlander offense. Hinson would strike for six points in the quarter on three scores in a row while they got Bright and freshman guard Crystal Jones (Orlando, FL / Foundation Academy) involved in the scoring category. The quarter would be capped off with Raines scoring her 30^th point on the day as this one headed to the final stanza.
 
Hinson opened it up with a pull up jumper followed by Raines burying a pair of triples and continuing her offensive clinic, breaking Hinson's December 9^th single-game scoring record on her fifth and final made three of the day. Despite only being outscored 18-15 in both quarters of the second half, Cedar Crest could not overcome the Highlanders' 61% display of sharpshooting in the second quarter, with the contest being decided by a score of 80-51.
 
Raines made it rain from three, shooting a lights out 5-8 from behind the arc, 14-25 from the field and 10-12 from the free throw line to the tune of a single-game record 43 points. Hinson and Quince each had a double-double, Hinson scoring 12 with 10 boards and a pair of blocks while Quince scored 11, grabbing 10 rebounds, assisting on 6 of her teammates' shots, and taking away a career-high 7 steals, proving why she was this week's United East Skye Division Defensive Player of the Week.
 
As a team, Cairn shot 42% to their opponent's 31%, shooting better than 45% from three point land, with Raines having all 5 makes. The Highlanders led in team offensive categories, flying past the Falcons in points off of turnovers (33-16), second-chance points (25-7), points in the paint (38-20), and off the fast break (14-6). The bench did their part a well, scoring 18.
 
The Highlanders look to ride their momentum of winning three of their last four into next week as they host Clarks Summit on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. before visiting Pratt on Friday and getting right back to conference play at Rosemont on Saturday.