Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton women's basketball team hosted Carthage College on Wednesday night in a CCIW matchup. The Firebird had strong play for much of the game as the guests emerged with a 63-52 victory.
Carthage never trailed in tonight's matchup and Wheaton's
Jenna Hunter made a basket in Wheaton's first offensive possession to tie the game at 2-2. The guests then out-scored the Thunder 10-2 as Carthage gained a 12-4 lead with 3:55 remaining in the first quarter. Carthage led 17-10 at the conclusion of the of the opening quarter and led by as much as 15 points in the second quarter as the guests held a 30-17 edge at halftime.
The Firebirds led by as much as 25 points in the third quarter as they held a 22-point edge at 49-27 advantage at the end of the third. Carthage led by 21 points at 60-39 with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter when Wheaton put together a 13-3 run to trim the guests' lead to 11 points in the final score of 63-52.
Freshman
Lydia Brogan led the Thunder with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals in a spirited effort off the Thunder bench.
Lauryn Ham and Hunter each tallied 10 points for the hosts. Hunter had a team-high seven rebounds and Ham added two assists.
Grace Cord led Carthage with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Malia Green had a game-high nine rebounds, while Green and Whitney Thompson each scored 12 points for the guests.
Wheaton posted a 35.8% (19-of-53) field goal percentage, including 28.6% (6-of-21) from three-point range. The Firebirds had a 40.4% (23-of-57) effort from the field, including 33.3% (8-for-24) behind the three-point arc. Carthage shot 81.8% (9-for-11) at the free throw line and the Thunder shot 61.5% (8-for-13) at the charity stripe. Carthage out-rebounded the Thunder 40-28, including a 13-8 edge on the offensive glass.
Wheaton remains at home on Saturday for a matchup inside King Arena against North Central College. The contest between the Thunder and the Cardinals tips off at 2:00 p.m. as part of a CCIW doubleheader that will be followed by a 4:15 p.m. tipoff against the NCC men's basketball team and the Thunder men's program.
