Wesleyan University only outscored the Hamilton College women's basketball team in the first quarter and the Cardinals held on for a 62-56 NESCAC win against the Continentals on Friday night in Middletown, Conn.

Halie Serbent '19 led Hamilton (11-3, 1-1 NESCAC) with 16 points and added seven rebounds. Carly O'Hern '20 and Marie Steiner '20 both dropped in 10 points. Samantha Srinivasan '18 collected a team-high nine rebounds and chipped in eight points. Lauren Getman '18 tallied six points, four rebounds, and two steals.

Olivia Gorman paced the Cardinals (9-4, 1-2 NESCAC) with 16 points and added two steals. Maddie Bledsoe notched 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Heidi Scarth and Tara Berger both scored seven points, and Berger brought down eight boards.

Serbent scored the first points for Hamilton 41 seconds after the opening tip, but the Cardinals scored eight straight to build an early 10-2 edge at 6:42 and never surrendered the lead. Mackenzie Aldridge '20 sank a jump shot at 4:37 and Marie Steiner '20 drained a three-pointer at 3:51 before Wesleyan closed the quarter with three unanswered points to make the score 13-7 at the end of the first.

Gorman scored nine of Wesleyan's 11 points at the start of the second quarter, including a three with 4:41 left in the second to give the Cardinals their largest lead of 11 points at 24-13. Getman drained a three 33 seconds later to get Hamilton back within single-digits and Srinivasan followed with another three to make the score 26-19 with under three minutes left before halftime. Hamilton entered the half with a 31-25 deficit after outscoring Wesleyan 6-2 in the last 1:13 of the quarter.

Neither team could gain much of an advantage during the first half of the third quarter before Serbent put back an offensive board with 5:28 left and O'Hern made a basket from downtown, getting Hamilton within three points at 34-31. Hamilton remained within three points until Wesleyan ended the third by outscoring Hamilton 6-3 for a 46-40 edge going into the final quarter.

Wesleyan scored six unanswered in the fourth quarter to regain a double-digit lead at 57-47 with 3:31 left before Hamilton attempted a comeback. O'Hern and Serbent swished back-to-back threes with 1:43 and 59 seconds to go, respectively, to make the score 60-54. Both teams added two free throws in the final seconds.

Hamilton visits Connecticut College (9-4, 1-2 NESCAC) on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. The Camels fell 72-40 to No. 1 Amherst College on Friday night.