After a thrilling win against North Coast Athletic Conference rival Oberlin College in overtime last Wednesday at Oberlin, Ohio, the womenís basketball team looked poised to match its longest winning streak of the season with a win over Hiram on Wednesday. Despite putting together its best run of the season, the Scotsí were tripped up by the Terriers last Wednesday.
Against Oberlin, the Scots and Yeowomen passed the lead back and forth throughout the game, with Wooster leading by 19 early in the game, then trailing by 14 later.† An overtime effort by the Scots, which included seven baskets by Kym Wenz í10,† ended the game in a 78-74 victory.
The Fighting Scots (4-5 NCAC, 7-11 overall) dominated the early minutes of the game, with points by Kaitlin Krister í10 and Wenz for an 11-5 lead.† Wooster then tacked on 12 unanswered points as Samantha Justice í12 recorded assists to Taylor Keegan í11† and Kristen Schwartz í12 to increase the lead to 26-7 in the first nine minutes of the half.
In a reversal of fortune, Oberlin (3-14, 2-6 NCAC) controlled play for the rest of the half, and a 27-9 run tied the game 32-32 with two minutes left on the clock.
Wooster responded with baskets by Krister and Wenz, and Jessica Wingen í13 blocked a shot by Oberlinís Priscilla Staples to regain a lead of six (38-32), but the Yeowomen added three more points before the end of the half, cutting Woosterís lead to 38-35.
Oberlin continued its dominance into the second half, with Kelly Walrichís consecutive three-point baskets in a 12-point run which put Oberlin ahead 47-38. Oberlin gained its greatest lead of the game of 14 points (55-41) when Syra Thomas completed a shot from behind the paint.
Wooster changed the pace of the game yet again with two baskets by Wingen, which put the Scots within five (59-54), followed by completions by Keegan that drew the Scots within two (64-62) with eight minutes remaining in the game.† Schwartzís lay up tied the game 66-66 with just under four minutes remaining, and the match stayed tied at 68-68 for the last minute, sending the game into overtime.
Wenz led Woosterís scoring in overtime, starting with a three-pointer to give the Scots a 71-68† lead† and then went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to win the game 78-74.
Woosterís players had an impressive night with Wenz leading the team with 25 points and 10 rebounds.† Schwartz had a career-high of 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Krister tallied 12 points and 16 boards.† Wingen went 6-for-8 on shooting and added 14 points and Colleen Goodwillie í10 recorded nine, two of them on three-pointers.
With the thrilling win over Oberlin, the team had a chance to reach above .500 in the conference standings and move into fourth-place in the NCAC standings with a victory over Hiram (2-7, 3-15). The game looked promising at halftime, with the Scots ahead by a bucket 33-31. The Scots built up a 47-41 lead early in the second half, but Hiram used a 16-7 run in a nine-minute span to go ahead by three. This proved to be the difference in the game, as Hiram eventually held on 64-63 despite a three by Colleen Goodwillie í11 in the gameís closing seconds.
From here, the Scotsí schedule only gets tougher. The team takes on Denison University (5-3, 13-4). In the first meeting between the two schools this year, Wooster upset the Big Red on their home floor in Granville, Ohio.