This Tuesday, the Cardinals played their final game on the road before their home opener on Friday, venturing up to Springfield, Mass. for a clash with Western New England University. The Cardinals came away with another come-from-behind victory, upending the Golden Bears by a score of 60-51. The Cardinals have won all of their games so far this season, and all of their contests have had a similar comeback flavor to them. While the Cards have fallen behind at the half against all of their opponents, they’ve managed to outlast other squads on the way to racking up wins.

However, the Cardinals did not have to mount such an impressive comeback on Tuesday, as they managed to keep the contest close through the first half, only trailing 24-23 at the break. Inconsistent play marked the Birds’ first half as the team mustered only a 27.3 percent from the field while squandering a 10-point lead early in the contest.

A three-ball from Captain Amber Wessells ’14 would be the go-ahead basketball with 17:39 to put the match in the Cardinals’ favor for good. Wessells contributed a solid all-around effort for her team, totaling eight points, five rebounds, and a team-high three assists. She had active hands all night on defense as well, stripping the ball away for a team-high four steals.

For the third time in as many games, the Cards came back from the locker room remarkably more dialed in, playing efficient basketball on their end of the court while severely limiting their opponents’ defensive chances. The Cardinals came back to shoot an improved 36.4 percent from the field in the second half of play. Additionally, the Cardinals did not squander many attempts from the charity stripe, going 19-for-22 in the second half and 23-for-29 for the entire match-up for 79.3 percent.

Another scorer took primary duties in the Cards’ third outing as guard Dreisen Heath ’15 shot 5-for-7 from the bench and totaled 14 points to go with three rebounds. After starting the first two contests, Heath spent the opening whistle of the third one watching the action, but made sure her impact was felt the moment she filled in; she was her team’s most proficient scorer.

The total team effort also saw newcomer Brenna Diggins ’17 step up in a big way for her squad. Coming off the bench, the freshman contributed nine points and ripped down a team leading six rebounds, three of which were offensive. With Diggins’ spark-plug effort, the Cardinals led their opponents in total, rebounding by a tight 39-36 margin.

In all of their games so far this year, the Cardinals have held the advantage in rebounds. The team will need to continue to hold the edge on the boards in order to stay competitive in games even when it falls behind.

This weekend, the Cardinals’ home opener will signal the beginning of a four-game homestand as the Cardinals play host for the Courtyard by Marriott Tournament. First up, on Friday at 7 p.m., the Cards will be tasked with taking on UMass Boston, currently 1-0 on the season, and then will close the tournament on Sunday against Albertus Magnus College, which also picked up a victory in its first outing of the season.