Chloe Burdette
Contributing Writer
The Wooster women’s basketball team started their season off with a bang as they faced Geneva College in their home opener on Nov. 15. Wooster took the win with a score of 68-57 over the Geneva Golden Tornadoes with Maria Janasko ’21 collecting a total of 15 points and 8 rebounds. Following Janasko was Anna Gibbs ’19 with 12 points on nine shots, three assists and four steals as a game-high. Aki Shurelds ’18 also contributed with three assists, and Aubri McKoy ’20 had three steals in a matter of 13 minutes. The Fighting Scots prevented the Golden Tornadoes from scoring in the final four minutes of the game to defeat Geneva decisively for the second season in a row.
As the women’s basketball team’s season progressed into the next week, Wooster played in the Nan Nichols Classic held at Timken Gymnasium from Nov. 18-19. In the first round, the Wooster Fighting Scots prevailed in a hard-fought 73-68 win over the Alma College Scots. Gibbs again was a consistent scorer with 12 points, but this time, the bench came up big with Kyle Croxton ’19 contributing 18 points and Kylie Orr ‘20 chipping in with a dozen.
In the championship of the Nan Nichols Classic, Wooster met their match with the undefeated Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets by a score of 82-47. The Scots shot just 25 percent from the field (16-64) and 5 percent from the 3-point line (1-18).
After a close first quarter, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Scots 51-28 throughout the second and third quarters to assure Baldwin Wallace of an easy win. Gibbs was the team leader with nine points, while McKoy was a consistent presence on the glass with six rebounds.
Before Thanksgiving Break, Wooster hosted Penn State Behrend in a non-conference game which resulted in a tough loss of 88-71. The Fighting Scots played a lively first half, with a 44-40 lead at halftime. The Lady Lions team were out for blood, looking for their first win of their season.
In the second half of the game, Penn State Behrend outscored Wooster 48-27. Janasko, Croxton and Gibbs led the way once again, scoring 16, 12 and 11 points respectively. Sarah Repacz ’21 controlled the boards with nine — five on the offensive side — helping Wooster to a 39-37 advantage on the glass. Turnovers were the issue as the Scots came into the game averaging only 16 per contest but committed a season high of 31.
Wooster will try to better their overall record of two wins and two losses by hosting a solid Oberlin squad on Nov. 29 before hitting the road for the first time this season traveling to Cleveland, Ohio to take on Case Western Reserve in a non-conference game on Saturday, Dec. 2.