CHAMBERSBURG, PA – The #5 Cairn Highlanders Women's Basketball team faced #4 Wilson College on the road Saturday afternoon for the United East Women's Basketball Championship – Divisional First Round matchup. The Highlanders once again showcased their high-powered offense as they upset the Phoenix in unfriendly territory, 91-74.
 
Cairn (16-10 / 10-8 Skye Division) won the tip and grabbed an early six point lead. Freshman guard Ella Quince (Morrisville, PA / Morrisville) got the first bucket and assisted classmate Makayla Raines (Jonesboro, GA / St. Mary's Academy) for a three. Raines followed with a layup and assisted freshman forward Dezaray Bright (Keystone Heights, FL / Keystone Heights) on a layup in the paint. Quince grabbed a steal and took it all the way to the other end on a fast break as Wilson (13-13 / 12-6 Skye Division) searched for an answer. Raines struck again from deep as the Highlanders won the first quarter, 23-16.
 
In the second frame, junior forward Tayor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood) got to work early with two buckets as the Highlander lead grew to double figures. Raines would go off for 10 in the frame, leading the way to a 22-point lead at the half, knocking down 2/3 free throws as she was fouled on a three point attempt at the horn. Wilson was plagued by their shooting, as they were 1-15 from the floor in the second quarter.
 
Wilson looked to battle out of the break, banking a layup with contact, drawing a free throw for a three-point play. Freshman guard T'miya Bryant (Raleigh, NC / South Garner High School) hit from deep to keep the distance with time running off the clock. The Phoenix finished with ten points in the last two minutes of the quarter, cutting the lead to thirteen. Raines had a parting shot at the horn as she made another three pointer.
 
The Highlanders held onto the lead while they kept working their way higher on the scoreboard. Raines fired another from behind the arc, her fourth of the game. Wilson made their free throws down the stretch as they drove to the lane drawing contact and had the deficit as close as twelve. Raines finished with a layup and jump shot, once again breaking the single-game scoring record as she finished with 47 points. Wilson finished the game on a 7-2 run as the 91-74 victory was already decided, Cairn's first Women's Basketball postseason victory since 2019. 
 
On the game, Cairn shot 43.4% (33-76) from the field and were 5-13 (38.5%) from behind the arc, four of which were made by Raines. Her record scoring was the third most in a single game this season in all of NCAA Division III. In addition to her record scoring, Raines also grabbed a game-high 3 steals along with 3 assists and 8 rebounds. Hinson scored 16 points with a blocked shot while Quince had another double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Favor Okpali (Prince George's County, MD / Hagerstown Community College) was also a top board-getter, grabbing 9 rebounds.

Head Coach Allen Kuiper commented on his first postseason win: "Proud of the team's effort tonight. We have spoken about starting road games with intensity and I believe that the squad did just that today. Makayla Raines was outstanding this afternoon. She was our leader this game and she handled adversity with grace. I'm so pleased she plays for Cairn." 
 
Cairn Women's Basketball matches up with #1 Notre Dame of Maryland on Monday in Baltimore. Tip off time TBD.