Junior center Brianne Comden scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the University of Mary Washington women's basketball team to a 62-49 victory at Marymount University on Saturday afternoon, handing the Saints their first conference loss of the season. The Eagles improve to 12-3 overall, and 6-2 in Capital Athletic Conference play.
The Eagles' offense clicked from the start, as UMW shot 51.1% from the floor for the game, and started with a 16-11 lead through the first quarter. The Eagles used a pair of Comden baskets and an Elizabeth Dofflemyer three pointer to open with a 7-2 advantage, and a pair of Meghan Comer free throws with 5:26 left upped the lead to 14-5. The Saints trimmed the deficit to 16-11, and neither team would dent the scoring column in the final minutes.
In the second, the game proved to be the typical showdown between the traditional top two teams in the CAC, as the Eagles and Saints traded blows back and forth offensively. A Kendall Parker three pointer with 7:45 to go in the half gave the Eagles a 23-15 lead.
After the teams traded buckets, UMW capped the second quarter scoring on a Brianne Comden layup with 2:16 to play to send the Eagles to halftime with a 30-23 lead.
In the third quarter, UMW's offense produced 18 points to keep the Saints at bay, extending the lead by three points in the frame. Sarah Listenbee and Parker each scored six points in the period.
In the fourth, the Eagles were able to extend the lead to as many as 16, Marymount made a run to cut the deficit to five on several occasions. But the Eagles stopped the game from becoming a one-possesion game each time, and connected on all eight of their free throw attempts in the frame to come away with the 13-point win.
The Eagles were led by Comden's 16 points on 8-15 shooting from the floor, and her 11 rebounds. Dofflemyer and Parker each had nine points, and Listenbee and Megan Green each added eight. Marymount was led by Tyffani McQueen's 13 points.
UMW shot 51.1% from the field (23-45), making 4-13 three pointers and 12-13 free throws. Marymount shot 32.7% (18-55) from the field, making 3-18 three pointers and 10-15 free throws.
The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday night when they visit Southern Virginia University at 6:00 p.m. in another CAC contest.