Reading, Pa. (Jan. 19, 2022)- Widener University (8-6, 4-3) used a strong second half to power past Alvernia University (8-7, 2-6) Wednesday night in a MAC Commonwealth women's basketball matchup at Alvernia.
 
The Golden Wolves kicked off the scoring in the opening stanza, with Taliyah Malone knocking down an unassisted layup.
 
The Pride quickly answered, going on a 6-0 run over the next two minutes. Tamia Wessels netted a free throw to snap the run.
 
The next few minutes were back and forth, with neither team gaining an edge. Wessels cut the deficit to three with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
 
Despite this, Widener's offense kept applying pressure. The Pride were able to grow their lead with a pair of two quick baskets late in the quarter.
 
Alvernia's offense bounced back, with Wessels guiding a five-point run. The opening quarter ended with the Pride on top, 18-15.
 
The second stanza saw the Pride's offense start strong, netting a pair of jumpers to push the lead back up to four.
 
Alvernia's offense did not stay down for long, with Kayla Williams and Malone sparking an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The next few minutes were back and forth, with neither team taking control of the contest. The Golden Wolves managed to grow their lead to three before the Pride answered.
 
The Golden Wolves closed out the half with a layup from Williams. Alvernia ended the second quarter up, 39-37.
 
Widener opened up the scoring in the second half, drawing the match even, 39-39.
 
The first few minutes of the third stanza were close, with Malone helping keep things close. The Pride's offense started to click late in the third, going on a 9-2 run.
 
Despite the seven-point deficit, Alvernia's offense, led by Williams, went on a 5-0 run with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
 
The Golden Wolves' offense stayed hot, drawing the match even with a layup from Janelle Robinson, 57-57.
 
The Pride knocked down a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left in the third quarter, taking a 59-57 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter is where Widener's offense clicked, jumping out to a seven-point lead with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter.
 
The Pride continued to grow their lead, going up by 13 with 3:32 left in the contest.
 
Alvernia did not give up, despite the late deficit. Two quick layups from Jordan Karmonick cut Widener's lead to just nine.
 
The Pride were able to push their lead back to 12 with 49 seconds remaining. But, a pair of threes from Williams helped bring it to within six.
 
Despite the late effort, Widener defeated Alvernia by nine, 82-73.
 
Williams led Alvernia in scoring, tallying 19 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks on the night. Karmonick recorded 15 points, ten rebounds, and four assists, while Wessels picked up 12 points, five boards, and four assists.
 
The Golden Wolves return to action this Saturday on the road against York College.