MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team was outscored, 35-22 in the second half, leading to a 60-51 loss at host Wesleyan University this afternoon at Silloway Gymnasium in Middletown, Conn.

The Lyons drop to 3-6 on the season, while the Cardinals improve to 4-4.

Shooting from beyond the three-point arc was a premium with neither team faring well. Wesleyan was just 3-16 (18.8%) from long range as part of a 41.2% (21-51) overall shooting mark, while Wheaton shot just 19% (4-21) from three-point territory. The Lyons were 21-61 from the floor for a 34.4% success rate. 

Senior forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led the Lyons with her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with two assists and a steal, while junior Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, N.H.) scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting in addition to five boards, three assists, a steal and a block. Senior guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) contributed with nine points, two rebounds, two steals, a block and a game-high five assists.  

Senior guard Olivia Quinn (Franklin, Mass.) led all scorers with 29 points, including a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line to go with six rebounds, two steals and an assist for the Cardinals. Sophomore guard Meghan Kirck (Orange, Conn.) chipped in with 13 points on 5-9 from the floor in addition to grabbing three rebounds, handing out a pair of assists and picking up two steals.

Colbert drilled a three-pointer to give Wheaton a 34-31 margin with 4:36 to play in the third quarter. It was the last lead the Lyons enjoyed for the afternoon. Wesleyan ripped off 10 straight points, led by seven from Quinn, to close out the quarter and give the home team a 41-34 margin heading into the final quarter of play.

Senior guard Kennis Jasperson (Sacramento, Calif.) stuck a jumper at the 8:39 mark of the fourth quarter to pull Wheaton within 43-38, but the Cardinals next big strike was a nine-point run, paced by four points apiece from Quinn and first year guard Samaya Lovett (Woburn, Mass.), to give them a 52-38 cushion with 5:52 remaining in the game. The Lyons put together a 9-2 burst, including six from Colbert, to cut the deficit to 54-47 with 1:40 left in the quarter. Walters later made a jumper with 45 ticks left in the game to make it 56-49, but it was as close as Wheaton would get for the rest of the contest.

The Lyons opened the game with a 5-3 lead, capped by a triple from Keyter with 6:53 to play in the first quarter. Wesleyan scored the next five points with a layup from Kirck giving the Cardinals an 8-5 margin at the 5:28 mark of the period. Wheaton reeled off eight straight points with four each from junior guard Mary Claire McClintock (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Walters, to take a 13-8 lead. Junior forward Alli Jones (Wellesley, Mass.) converted a layup before the end of the quarter to make it a three-point game for the home team.

Sophomore guard Aviva Schnitzer (Phoenix, Ariz.) canned a jumper early in the second session for Wesleyan to cut the difference to a point at 15-14 just 63 seconds into the quarter. The Lyons scored the next four points, including a pair of free throws from Walters, to extend their advantage to 19-14 with 6:12 to play in the opening half. The Cardinals netted seven of the next eight points, paced by five points from Quinn, to give them a 21-20 edge with 3:29 left in the quarter. Wesleyan held onto a one-point margin at 23-22, before Wheaton closed out the half with a 7-2 burst, including five points from sophomore guard Daniella MacDonald (Newtown, Pa.), to take a 29-25 lead heading into the intermission. 

The teams were scoreless for the first 3:12 of the second half, before they traded baskets. Colbert's trifecta snapped a 31-31 tie for the Lyons.

Wheaton returns to play on Monday, December 29 when it travels to Providence, R.I. to take on Division I Brown University at 12:00 p.m., while the Cardinals host Amherst College on December 9 at 7:00 p.m.