PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Mikayla Caruso scored a team-high 24 points to help the JWU (Providence) women's basketball team to an 86-72 win over Mt. St. Vincent (NY) Saturday night in non-conference action at the Wildcat Center.  

The Newton, New Jersey native also pulled down a game-high 11 boards to go with two blocks and two steals in 38 minutes of action as the Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the season. JWU finished with five student-athletes in double-figures as sophomore Alexa Lora (12 points), along with freshmen Brianne Foley (17 points), Grace Jaffray (16 points), and Isabella Suero (10 points) all proved to be key cogs in the win.

JWU trailed by two at the half (41-39) behind 11 from Foley and nine from both Jaffray and Lora. The Dolphins outrebounded the Wildcats by 10 through the opening 20 minutes (25-15) and each team committed 10 turnovers. The home team shot 48 percent from the field and held Mt. St. Vincent to 36 percent.

The Dolphins opened the second half with a triple to stretch their lead to five (44-39) before back-to-back three's from Lora and Caruso late in the third gave the Wildcats a 57-51 lead. Later, with the game tied at 70 and 4:27 remaining in regulation, Suero knocked down a pair of triples to put her team ahead by six. Caruso went on to drain four-consecutive free throws to extend the lead to 82-72 and wrap the game.

The Wildcats hot shooting continued into the second half and they finished the night at 48 percent (28-of-59) – including 40 percent from downtown. Defensively, they turned 18 Dolphin turnovers into 18 points and held them to 30 percent from the field in the second half.