OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Concordia College women's basketball team visited the NYIT Bears on Tuesday evening for a non-conference game on Long Island. The Clippers were unable to come away with their first victory of the season as NYIT secured a 74-59 win at Recreation Hall.
In the first quarter the two sides kept the score close with seven lead changes occurring over the first seven minutes of action. The Bears used a 10-3 run to close out the period as the home team held a 25-10 lead after 10 minutes of action.
The second quarter saw both teams struggling to score early on as only two field goals were scored in the first 3:39 of the period. After trailing 27-22, Concordia allowed five straight points as NYIT held a 32-22 advantage with 5:54 remaining until halftime. The Clippers responded with a 5-0 run of their own to cut their deficit to five points at the 4:21 mark, but the Bears ended the quarter with 12 unanswered points to go into the locker room with a 44-27 lead.
An opening basket for NYIT in the third quarter gave them their largest lead of 19 points at 46-27, but Concordia would put together their strongest period to begin cutting into the deficit. Midway through the quarter the Clippers used an 8-4 run to get within 12 points at 53-41 with 3:59 remaining on the clock. After the Bears scored four straight points, Concordia ended the period on a 6-1 run as NYIT's was cut to 11 at 58-47 going into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, the Clippers came out with a 6-2 run as Concordia was within striking distance at 60-53 with just over seven minutes to go in regulation. The Bears then used a 7-2 response to gain some breathing room with a 67-55 advantage. The Clippers were unable to mount another run as NYIT ended the game with seven of the last 11 points as Concordia would fall, 74-59.
Junior Julianne Wilkinson (Red Hook, N.Y.) led the offense for the Clippers with 17 points as she also added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Junior Lyric Blanch (Kingston, N.Y.) chipped in with a career-high 16 points as she added a career-best four steals, four rebounds, and two assists to her total. Junior Hadiyah Black (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded a team-high nine rebounds while adding 10 points to her total.
Concordia (0-3) will be on the road again Thursday evening to battle St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, N.Y. Tip-off for the non-conference game is set for 5:30 p.m. as fans unable to attend can follow the action by clicking on the live stats and video links under the women's basketball schedule page on ConcordiaClippers.com.