WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 3, 2024) - The Susquehanna University women's basketball team defeated the Wilkes University Colonels 81-59 on the road Saturday afternoon, giving them their third straight win and improving their record to 14-7 overall and 9-5 in Landmark action. The victory keeps Susquehanna at a two-game advantage in fourth place in the conference standings, a spot that would earn them a home playoff game come late February. 

The River Hawks wasted no time getting started as they scored first and held that lead for the entire game. The teams did go back and forth for most of the first quarter, but Wilkes never snatched the lead from Susquehanna and an 8-0 run in the last minute and a half of the quarter gave Susquehanna a 19-10 lead. 

In the second the River Hawk defense continued their excellence while the offense continued to pile on. Susquehanna doubled up Wilkes in quarter outscoring them 18-9 while holding them to just 3-12 shooting from the field and 0-4 from beyond the arc. In total the defense forced 11 Wilkes turnovers in the first half and turned those turnovers into 16 points as they took a 37-19 lead at halftime.  

Out of the break the River Hawks started the third on a 7-1 to get their largest lead of the game of 24 points because of timely baskets from Kaitlyn Lynch, Kenzie Selvaggi, and Julia Pinkert, but the Colonels responded by outscoring the River Hawks 25-11 for the rest of the quarter due to drawing fouls and making free throws to cut the deficit to 10 heading into the fourth quarter. 

In the fourth Lynch Zoie Maffei restored order. Lynch went on a 7-0 run by herself to bring the lead back up to 17, and Maffei came along for the ride scoring 10 points in the quarter, including 8-8 from the free throw line. This helped keep the River Hawks for good and secured the 81-59. 

Lynch led the team in scoring with 19 points, 17 in the second half, while Maffei tallied 14 points along with six rebounds. Carly George and Julia Pinkert also contributed, with George recording nine points and eight rebounds, and Pinkert with nine points and five rebounds.  

The win improves Susquehanna to 14-7 overall and 9-5 in Landmark Conference play and keeps the team on track to host a playoff game in the first round of the Landmark Conference tournament in just a few weeks. Their next game is on Feb. 7 at home against the Lycoming College Warriors, with a start time of 7 p.m.