Wolard Notches Double-Double For Goucher Women's Basketball Against Drew

BALTIMORE, Md. – For the second-straight game, Goucher College held the lead late in the game and also had a chance to rally to win before falling short against Drew University 55-50 in Landmark Conference women's basketball action on Saturday.

Nicole Wolard (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) powered the Gophers with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. She shot 6-for-11 from the field for her 12 points and then grabbed five offensive rebounds and 12 defensive boards to best her personal high of 14 she set twice last season. It was her fourth double-double this season and 13th of her career after recording the trick nine times in 2017-18. She has scored double figures 13 times this season and 33 times in her career while hauling in 10+ rebounds 10 times at Goucher. Wolard is third on the team with 10.2 points per game.

Alayna McFadden (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) had a team-high 18 points. The freshman has scored double figures 16 times this season including consecutive games and seven of her last eight games. In addition, she has scored 18 points or more six times in 2018-19. McFadden ranks second with 14.2 points per game.

Anise Williams (West Palm Beach, Fla./The Benjamin School) added 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Williams has reached double figures in nine of the last 10 games and 18 times in her freshman campaign. She has grabbed at least five boards 12 times and is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game in her last four tilts. Williams paces the team with 15.7 points per game.

After the Rangers took the first quarter by a score of 11-7, the Gophers had four different players score in a 9-0 spurt to grab a 16-11 lead midway through the second quarter. Goucher maintained the advantage until Drew scored the final five points of the frame to go into the locker room with a 24-22 advantage.

The game was tied at 27 and the Rangers grabbed as large as a seven-point lead. Trailing 37-31 with 3:22 on the clock, Shelby Apostol (Oxnard, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) hit a jumper, McFadden a 3-ball, Kerry Chung (Honolulu, Hawaii/Mid-Pacific Institute) a jumper and Wolard a jumper to end the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 40-37 lead going into the final stanza.

Wolard and Chung baskets to start the fourth quarter handed the Gophers a 44-37 advantage with 8:05 on the clock. With the hosts holding a 48-42 lead with 3:36 on the clock, Drew scored the next 10 points to take a 52-48 edge. Williams made it a two-point game with a layup with 33 seconds left, but the Rangers made 3 of 4 at the line to end the game.

It was Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Goucher College that included a 50-50 raffle and a t-shirt sale with all proceeds going to Red Devils. The Red Devils, founded in 2002, is a breast cancer organization located in Towson. They have a partnership with 41 hospitals throughout the Baltimore and Washington D.C area all sharing the same mission to fund services that improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families. These services include a variety of treatment support services at no charge to the patients living or being treated in Maryland. The Red Devils funds focus on helping families in three program areas which tend to be the most common barriers patients face. They help assist with treatment transportation, family support, and medical services and treatment-related therapies.

While October is the official Breast Cancer Month, the "pink phenomenon" in women's basketball began during the 2004-2005 basketball season, when Kay Yow's cancer recurred after being in remission for 17 years. Yow, the former NC State University head women's basketball coach, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009 after a 22-year battle with breast cancer. 

Uniting players, coaches, and fans to do something for the greater good that far exceeds wins and losses on the court.

Goucher returns to action at Elizabethtown College on Wednesday. Tipoff is 7 p.m.