COLLEGEVILLE, PA. - The Ursinus College women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest to Cabrini on Wednesday evening by a score of 48-38.  Both teams struggled in the first quarter, combining for 9 turnovers as Cabrini held the advantage from the floor, shooting 20% compared to 18% for the Bears.   

In the first, Ursinus jumped on the scoreboard first after Chinwe Irondi found the nylon from a Kelly Grant assist. Cabrini answered with a Mirandi Liebtag three-pointer on an assisted pass from Ashley Tutzauer. Neither team scored for the next three minutes after each defense forced two turnovers a piece.  

Irondi benefited from a Grant assist as she gave Ursinus the 4-3 lead after her second basketball of the game. Gabby Downs dropped in two free throws after being fouled with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter, giving Ursinus the 6-3 lead. Leila Collazo gave the Cavaliers a 9-7 advantage after a three-pointer rattled home to end the first stanza.  

In the second quarter, each team started off the with three turnovers a piece. Alison Lisanti scored the first points of the quarter at the 7:35 mark, with a three-pointer assisted by Maria D'Auleio. The Cavaliers responded with a three of their own from Tutzauer to grab a 12-10 lead. After an offensive rebound, a Gabby Downs layup tied the score at 12 with 5:28 remaining in the half. Two missed free throws from Cabrini allowed Kelly Grant to take the lead 14-12, after she went 2 for 2 from the foul line.  

After free throws were exchanged from both teams, a Gabby Downs jump shot gave the Bears a 19-17 lead with 2:08 remaining in the half. Alyssa Gerdes found Katie Rodriguez for a layup to tie the score at 19. With .13 seconds remaining, a Sarah DiLello crossover gave her enough space for a floater in the lane and would give the Bears a 21-19 lead at halftime.  

At the half, the Bears held the advantage from the field, shooting 33% (6-18) compared to the Cavaliers 22% (6-27). 

 To start the third quarter, Cabrini's Tutzauer rattled in a three-pointer to give the Cavaliers a one-point lead. Irondi answered for the Bears scoring in back-to-back positions to give Ursinus a 25-24 lead. Later in the third quarter, after a Katie McCusker free throw, Cabrini answered with a Tutzauer three-point play after being fouled on a jump shot. Cabrini led 34-28 after three quarters.  

In the fourth, Ashley Tutzauer closed the door on a Bears comeback scoring 12 of her team's final 14 points to secure a 48-38 victory over the Bears. Irondi lead Ursinus, scoring 15 points and pulling down 5 rebounds in the contest. Kelly Grant contributed with 6 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. Tutzauer scored a game-high 24 points after converting on five of her ten three-pointers.  

The Bears will return to action December 30 as they travel to Alvernia for a non-conference matchup with the Golden Wolves starting at 7PM.