Reading, Pa. (Jan. 24, 2024) - Kayla Williams became the 14th player in program history to score 1,000 career points as Alvernia rolled to a 75-44 win over Hood College on Wednesday night in MAC Commonwealth women's basketball action at Alvernia.

The Golden Wolves held a 34-23 lead at the half and outscored Hood 21-7 in the third quarter en route to the 75-44 win. 

With the win, Alvernia improved to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in MAC Commonwealth play. Hood dropped to 3-14 overall and 2-4 in MAC Commonwealth play.

How it Happened

• After a scoreless opening two minutes, the Blazers struck first with a layup in transition off of an Alvernia turnover. But, Alvernia responded on its next possession with a Taliyah Malone 3-pointer to take an early 3-2 lead.
• With Alvernia holding a 6-4 lead with 5:46 to play, Kayla Williams hit a layup and sparked a 9-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to give Alvernia the 15-4 lead with under 2:30 to play in the quarter. Karmonick scored three during the run and Williams, Meghan Ruth and Malone each had two.
• Hood scored six of the final eight points of the first quarter, but Alvernia took the 17-10 lead into the second frame.
• Both teams again went scoreless through the opening two minutes of the second quarter until Malone knocked down a 3-pointer to give Alvernia the ten point advantage, 20-10.
• Alvernia then made it a 13 point game just over a minute later following a Williams layup and another Malone 3-pointer.
• The scoring slowed through the middle of the quarter with a Karmonick layup accounting for the only two points in a 3-plus minute span as Alvernia continued to hold the 13 point advantage.
• Another layup from Karmonick with 3:42 to play in the quarter reignited the scoring. After a trading of points, a Karmonick 3-pointer gave Alvernia a 15 point advantage, 34-19, with 2:25 to play in the half.
• Hood scored the final four points of the half as Alvernia took a 34-23 lead into the break.
• Alvernia shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half with Malone accounting for three of Alvernia's 3-pointers.
• Both teams struggled to get into a rhythm to open the second half as it took over four minutes for the first field goal to be scored. But, a 3-pointer from Tamia Wessels off the assist of Williams got things rolling and gave Alvernia  13 point lead, 37-25.
• Wessels' 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run for Alvernia that saw the Golden Wolves build their lead up to 20, 45-25, with 3:21 to play in the quarter. Alvernia kept the Blazers from scoring their first field goal until there was 2:48 left in the third quarter.
• Alvernia held the Blazers to just three points in the final 2:48 as Alvernia built its lead up to 25, 55-30, heading into the final frame.
• A layup from Kylie Bradford got things started in the fourth quarter for Alvernia as the Golden Wolves took a 27 point lead, 57-50.
• Alvernia's next possession saw Williams take her milestone shot as Jordan Karmonick brought the ball up the floor. Karmonick passed it to Bradford and Bradford fed it back to Williams behind the arc. Williams let it fly and hit nothing but net as she became the 14th player in Alvernia Women's Basketball history to score 1,000 career points. The Golden Wolves took a 60-30 lead on Hood with the 3-pointer from Williams with nine minutes to play.
• Alvernia built its lead up to as much as 36, 68-32, on a Karmonick 3-pointer with 6:51 to play. The Golden Wolves cruised to the finish line from there as Alvernia came away with the 75-44 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Malone led Alvernia with 16 points and was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. 
• Williams finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for fifth double-double of the season along with her 1,000th point. She also finished with a team-high seven assists.
• Karmonick also had a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. 
• Alvernia shot  47.8% from 3-point range and was 14-for-15 from the free throw line.

Of Note

• After over a decade without a 1,000 point scorer, Williams became the second to hit the milestone this season. She joins Tamia Wessels who also reached 1,000 career points earlier this month at York. 
• Alvernia has now won six straight against Hood. Four of the six wins have been by 20 or more points.
• Alvernia finished the game with 49 rebounds to Hood's 32. The 17-rebound margin is Alvernia's largest positive rebound margin since game three of the season.
• Alvernia has now won five games this season by 30 or more points.
• Today's game marked the end of the first rotation of the MAC Commonwealth schedule. Alvernia is 3-4 through the first seven games and currency sits in fifth in the overall standings.

Up Next

• Alvernia is at Albright on Saturday looking for the series sweep against its crosstown rival. The Lions are 7-11 overall and 4-3 in MAC Commonwealth play. They are coming off a 56-46 win over Eastern earlier this evening. Alvernia won the first matchup of the year by 18, 80-62.