LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's basketball team continued conference play on Saturday afternoon as they hosted the Falcons of Cedar Crest College, defeating their conference foe 67-59.
"I think that Cairn Women's Basketball responded to adversity tonight." remarked Head Coach Allen Kuiper. "Cedar Crest never gave up and made it difficult to close out the game. With that being said, I thought we made just enough winning plays to close the door on Cedar Crest tonight."
Cairn (4-10, 2-6 CSAC) got underway in the first quarter with three-pointers by sophomore guards Kailee Sobrino (Tucson, AZ / Empire HS) and Tamia Warner (Ewing, NJ / Ewing HS), as the Highlanders set the pace by a score of 20-12. Cedar Crest College (0-9, 0-7 CSAC) had an early free throw opportunity to begin the second quarter, which cut the lead to seven. Cairn commanded the offensive glass with three consecutive put backs followed by two more three-pointers from Sobrino.
Warner brought the same momentum out of the halftime break with 10 points on 4-5 shooting as the Highlanders continued to keep the Falcons at bay. Warner capped off the third frame in dramatic fashion, sinking a half-court shot at the buzzer to give Cairn a 56-42 lead heading into the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, while the Highlander's offensive pace slowed, but the defensive side never let Cedar Crest come within striking distance. Key rebounds kept the Highlander lead at five coming into the closing minutes of the contest. Late free throws by Sobrino and freshman guard Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) sealed the victory for the Highlanders in their back-to-back conference wins.
Cairn made the most of second chance points with 12 compared to Cedar Crest's nine. The Highlanders shot 40% (26-65) from the floor and 61.5% (8-13) from behind the arc while the Falcons shot 30% (21-70) from the floor and 26.1% (6-23) from three. Cairn shared the ball efficiently, assisting on 14 of their 26 baskets.
Sophomore forward Taylor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood HS) had yet another masterful performance, this time record-breaking, scoring 22 points and collecting a single-game, program record 24 rebounds. This also marks just the second 20-point, 20-rebound game in program history (Lauren Gruver, Feb. 16, 2006 vs. LBC) and her seventh double-double of the season. Warner matched with 22 points as well, shooting five-of-seven from deep. Sobrino contributed 13 points and led the team with six assists while shooting three-of-six from three. Cline added a career-high six points, including four-of-four shooting from the free throw line and four rebounds.
The Highlanders will be on the road next week as they take on the Giants of Keystone College in La Plume on Wednesday night. The conference match-up tips off at 6 P.M.