Eagles Soar to Senior Day Victory, 74-36, Over Wesley

Eagles Soar to Senior Day Victory, 74-36, Over Wesley

Fredericksburg, Va.-- The University of Mary Washington women's basketball team defeated Wesley 74-36 on Saturday on senior day. The Eagles honored three seniors; Sam Partonen, Brie Matthes, and Aby Diop, each of whom scored in double figures. The win moves the Eagles to 16-7, 9-6 CAC for the year.

Wesley came out early, looking to play spoiler on senior day, scoring the first eight points of the afternoon. Haley Thomas and Brionna Johnson each hit back to back triples to open the game, while Tiara White added a layup to give the Wolverines the advantage.

UMW stormed back, scoring eight points of their own to trail only by two, 10-8. Caitlin Ciniero got the Eagles on the board with a layup, followed by a pair of Matthes threes. The Eagles would take the lead minutes later after a Partonen trifecta, giving UMW a 14-12 lead.

Following a Diop layup, Wesley took back the lead thanks to a Johnson triple. That would be the last time the Wolverines would lead all game, as Claire Haeuptle answered on the next possession with a three of her own. That three sparked a run, that saw a pair of Ciniero free throws, and a Ciniero jumper to lead 23-17 late in the first half. Wesley got the deficit down to just two after a brief 4-0 run, but the Eagles ended the half up five, 30-25.

Matthes lead the way for the Eagles, scoring nine first half points, going 3-6 from deep. Diop added five points and six boards in the half. UMW had nine assists on their 11 made buckets.

UMW came out blazing in the second half, outscoring the Wolverines, 21-2 over the first ten minutes of the half. It wasn't until 10:09 remaining that Wesley got their first field goal of the half, with Brionna Johnson hitting a layup. It was all Eagles from there, getting the lead to as much as 42 late, after a Caitie Geoghegan layup with 1:43 to go. The Eagles went on the win, 74-36.

UMW got double figures from all three seniors, with Matthes leading the way at 13. Diop ended the day with 11 points and ten rebounds, and Partonen scored ten points adding seven rebounds. Claire Haeuptle had a big day, scoring ten points going 4-8 from the field.

The Eagles return to action this Wednesday, February 19th at Southern Virginia. Tipoff with the Knights is set for 5:30 p.m.