Brandywine Hangs On For 61-55 Victory Over Cairn

LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Penn State Brandywine women's basketball team hung on to beat Cairn by a 61-55 score, evening its United East Conference record at 2-2, on Saturday afternoon.

Brandywine scored 38 points off 40 Highlander turnovers and limited the hosts to 36 percent shooting from the field, including 2-of-18 marksmanship beyond the arc.

The Lions outscored Cairn 8-2 during the final 1:51 of the first quarter, taking a two-point lead into the second period following a pair of free throws from Raelyn Loper (West Chester, Pa./Rustin).

Brandywine maintained the lead throughout the second quarter, pushing the margin to eight points when Journey Handy (Delmar, Md./Delmarva Christian) canned a triple and Abigail Adorno (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Lehman) followed with a jumper with 2:52 to go before the half.

After leading 31-25 at intermission, Brandywine began the second half with an 11-3 surge to open up its biggest lead of the game. Adorno and Ashley Robinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson) canned triples during the run, while Jazmyn Kemp's (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) three-point play capped the run, giving Brandywine a 42-28 edge.

Brandywine maintained a double-figure lead into the fourth quarter as Adorno and Cassidy Tolbert (Austell, Ga./Pebblebrook) recorded consecutive buckets for a 55-42 advantage with 6:38 to go; however, the Lions offense went cold for more than five minutes, allowing the Highlanders to climb within five.

Handy's triple at the 1:23 mark ended the Lions' drought and pushed its lead to 58-50. Adorno sank three-of-four free throws during the final minute to help Brandywine clinch the victory.

Robinson collected 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals, while Adorno notched 11 points and five steals. Tolbert chipped in 10 points and Kemp topped Brandywine on the boards with eight rebounds. Kemp added eight points, while Handy produced nine.

Brandywine is back on the road Tuesday when the Lions visit Valley Forge at 7:00 PM.