Kasey Fiedler
Senior Sports Writer
The Fighting Scots women’s basketball team demonstrated resilience in their battle against Kenyon College. The Scots compiled a late 21-5 scoring run in the second half, but the Ladies of Kenyon established an early cushion that prevented the Scots from achieving a victory at their final regular season match-up on Saturday, Feb. 22. Wooster (7-17, 2-14 NCAC) fell to Kenyon by a margin of 69-45,
Early on, both Wooster and Kenyon put on a defensive showing as each team struggled to reach double-digits on the scoreboard. Neither team did so until nearly 10 minutes into the first half. However, after the Ladies knocked down a three-pointer to make the score 12-6, they went on to score 14 unanswered points, stretching their lead to 23-6.
The Scots gained a bit of momentum before the end of the first half with aggressive shooting to the hoop, allowing them to visit the foul line on several occasions to bring their score to 15 points at halftime. Sydney Grier ’16 also drained a three-pointer with 45 seconds left in the first half, which motivated the Scots to keep fighting upon return to the second half.
Kenyon’s initial run proved to be enough to keep the Scots from making a promising comeback, although Wooster was significantly more competitive in the second half. They conjured up an offensive rhythm consisting of a 21-5 run that trimmed the deficit to 22 points. This stretch was comprised of 10 points from Lauren Hancher ’16, four free throws from Sydney Failing ’17, a three-pointer from Grier, and jumpers by Suvi Puripattarapan ’14 and Karley Walker ’14. Wooster also had an outstanding foul-shooting performance going 12-13.
Prior to Saturday’s match-up, Wooster’s seniors Walker, Maura Hall ’14 and Puripattarapan were recognized before what was their final home game. The players were escorted by their parents to half court where their dedication and contributions to the program were acknowledged. Hall ranks fifth all-time in program history with 255 successful free throws, Puripattarapan is ninth in steals with 170, and Walker is second in made three-point shots with 133 for her career.
All three seniors agreed that they have come a long way together this season. Walker believes their biggest strength is their depth. She says, “We haven’t had that in the past. Now we can sub in pretty much everyone on our team if we need to.” Hall named their resilience as a vital strength. “We have had a lot of harsh losses but we are able to come back when necessary, like when we beat Oberlin at home after we lost to them by 20 away.” Overall, the seniors were excited to have the opportunity to compete against DePauw on Tuesday and were ready to make some statements in the tournament.
Unfortunately, DePauw proved their number one national ranking, taking down the Scots 71-40. Walker led Wooster with nine points on 3-5 shooting from behind the arc. Hancher shined defensively with three steals.