Women's Basketball unable to overcome first half deficit

The Wiley College women's basketball team surged in the second half but was unable to overcome its first half deficit in a 90-84 loss to Philander Smith College in a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game Wednesday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Lady Wildcats (16-9, 7-7 GCAC) finish 7-1 at Alumni Gymnasium – which is their best record at home since 2016-17. They will be the fourth seed in the 2023 GCAC Women's Basketball Championship. The Lady Panthers are awaiting the results of Fisk University and Oakwood to determine if they'll be the second seed or third seed.

Wiley College trailed the entire game. It shot 21 percent in the first half and turned the ball over 15 times with 10 coming off steals. The Lady Wildcats trailed 40-27 at halftime. In the second half they trailed by as many as 21 points.

Pressley hit two 3-pointers to trim the margin to 13. With 20 seconds remaining in the third, Kaitlyn Davis hit a 3-pointer. Tamia Dolls was fouled in the final seconds shooting a 3-pointer and cut the lead to 10. The Lady Wildcats didn't hit a field goal in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, which allowed Philander Smith to push their advantage to 17. Davis hit a 3-pointer and a jumper and Alaeh Pressley hit a jumper to trim the margin to eight with 3:16 left in the game. The Lady Wildcats were unable to get closer.

They were outshot 54.2 to 33.3 percent and outrebounded 42-36. Wiley College won the turnover battle 35-25. Eighteen of its takeaways came off steals which led to 33 points off turnovers.

Davis led all scorers with 28 points. She shot 5-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. She added eight assists and five steals. Pressley followed with 26 points. She hit a career-high six three-pointers. Pressley also contributed seven rebounds and two blocks. Minnie Miller led the team in rebounds for the third consecutive game with nine while contributing eight points.

The Lady Wildcats will face Dillard University in the first round of the 2023 GCAC Championship. They split in the regular season with a 52-48 victory on January 13 on the road and lost 71-56 on February 4 at Jackson, Mississippi.

For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index

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