Box Score (PDF)

VILLANOVA – The East Stroudsburg University Women's Basketball team opened the 2018-19 campaign on Thursday night with an exhibition matchup inside the newly-renovated Finneran Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University. The Warriors dropped a 98-54 decision against the NCAA Division I Wildcats.

The Warriors officially open their season on Nov. 10 with a matchup against Wheeling Jesuit University as part of the Shippensburg University Tournament. ESU will face Bowie State the following day before hosting Caldwell University inside Koehler Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. on Nov. 13.

Junior Tiffany Lapotsky paced the Warriors offensively with 21 points as she connected on nine of her 20 attempts from the field. Sophomore Amanda Pike drained a trio of shots from downtown in the contest and recorded a pair of assists, while junior Dominique Rayam added seven points for the Warriors. Junior Jordan Hertz tallied seven points, five boards, three assists, and two steals for ESU.

Kelly Jekot scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting for Villanova, while Mary Gedaka added 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Bridget Herlihy notched a game-high six helpers for the Wildcats while chipping in seven points.
 
The Wildcats opened the game by shooting 68.4 percent from the field (13-of-19) as Villanova outscored the Warriors 29-12. Villanova followed with a strong second quarter, shooting 9-of-14 from the field (64.3 percent). ESU looked to try and cut into the deficit before heading into the half, going 5-of-12 from the field in the quarter. Villanova would take a 52-24 advantage into the locker room.
 
ESU controlled the tempo early in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats to chip away at the deficit. The Warriors connected on seven shots in the quarter, including a pair from behind the arc. The Warriors went on a 6-0 run with time winding down in the quarter and dropped 18 points on the Villanova defense.
 
Villanova pulled away from ESU in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats worked their way to the free-throw line, going 5-for-6. The Wildcats took their largest lead of the night (44) with 1:22 remaining in the contest.
 
The Warriors tallied 13 points off eight Villanova turnovers in the contest and recorded 30 points inside the paint. Villanova held a 40-28 edge in rebounds and added 15 second-chance points in the contest. ESU finished the night 22-for-58 from the field and 6-of-26 from three-point range. The Wildcats shot 57.4 percent (39-for-68) from the field and 11-of-24 from downtown.