Wolard Ends Her Time At Goucher With A Career Day Against Scranton
BALTIMORE, Md. – Nicole Wolard (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) saved the best for last. Wolard was playing in her final collegiate game and finished with a career-high 24 points to lead Goucher College in a Landmark Conference women's basketball game against ninth-ranked University of Scranton on Saturday.
It marked the second time in her career that she scored 20 points in a game after registering 20 points against Alvernia in her fourth game in her junior campaign. The senior, who was honored prior to the start of the game, went 9-for-20 from the floor and 5 of 8 from the free throw line while her final collegiate shot was also a first for her after she made her first career attempt from behind the arc with three seconds left in the game. She added eight rebounds, a steal and a block.
For her career, Wolard finished her career with 603 points, 459 rebounds, 60 steals, 23 blocks and 23 assists. She scored double figures 35 times, posted double digits in rebounds 18 times and registered 14 double doubles. She led the Landmark Conference in rebounding in her junior campaign and this season led the team in rebounding (8.0 rpg.) while ranking third in points (10.3 ppg).
While the game signified the end of the career for Wolard, it also marked the end of a talented freshmen class' first year at Goucher led by Anise Williams (West Palm Beach, Fla./The Benjamin School) and Alayna McFadden (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair). Williams led the team with 15.2 points and ranked third with 5.9 rebounds per game. McFadden tied Wolard for the team lead in rebounding (8.0 rpg.) and ranked second to Williams with 13.4 points per game.
Williams posted nine points, six rebounds and six steals while McFadden hauled in seven boards on Saturday.
The Royals jumped out to a 9-2 lead before the Gophers used a 9-2 spurt of their own to tie the game at 11 with 5:35 left in the first half. Scranton then scored the final six points of the quarter to take a 17-11 lead.
Wolard started the second quarter with consecutive baskets to make it a two-point game at 17-15 with 8:52 left in the stanza. After the Royals scored the next six points, Goucher went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 23 with 3:16 on the clock. Wolard had half of the points in this stretch. The visitors scored the final 11 points of the frame to take a 34-23 advantage going into the locker room.
Scranton used a 15-11 and 20-12 third and fourth quarters to earn a 69-46 decision.