WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Quickies:
OWU 89, Heidelberg 76...Four in double figures (Quigney 19) and +17 on the boards for the Bishops, who face 8-1 Washington & Jefferson this afternoon.
Wittenberg 67, Mt. St. Joseph 55...Tigers shot poorly (34%, 2/14 from the arc) but forced 32 turnovers and scored 25 from the line.  Tigers take on UW-Oshkosh tonight.
Westminster 62, Wooster 60...Scots end the game on a 16-2 run, but it was not quite enough to overcome a 16-point deficit at 5:28.  Kym Wenz had 18 points to lead all scorers.
Point Loma Nazarene 91, Denison 49...PLNU is ranked #11 in NAIA-I, so this result is hardly a surprise.  DU was outshot 51% to 28%, and Shaina Kaiser's 10 points were enough to make her the top-scoring visitor.  The Big Red close out their San Diego tour with Hanover this afternoon.
Amherst 66, Kenyon 36...The Ladies limp home from Daytona with a 1-8 record after getting waxed by the tenth-ranked Lord Jeffs.  Kenyon made just 13 baskets on the afternoon (24%) while committing 25 turnovers.  None of the Ladies could manage more than Kathleen Williams' seven points.

[David Collinge]

Tonight around the NCAC:
Washington & Jefferson 62, Ohio Wesleyan 50...Bishops shoot just 30% in dropping the Hoops for Hope Classic championship game at Branch Rickey Arena.  Kayla Gordon had 16, and Tyler Cordell added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
UW-Oshkosh 63, Wittenberg 60...Witt got out to an early 8-point lead, but a subsequent 24-5 Titan run put the Tigers in an 11-point halftime hole.  Witt then started the second half with a 14-2 outburst to regain the lead, and it remained close from that point (14:52) forward, with three ties and three lead changes and neither team leading by more than five.  Witt outrebounded their guests by 11 and shot 38% from the floor, including 7 threes (37%) which may be a season high, but connected on just two of their last 10 field goal attempts down the stretch, allowing Oshkosh to escape with the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic championship.
Hanover 66, Denison 63...Denison goes 0-3 in San Diego and, perhaps even worse, has to leave that beautiful city to return to Granville.  Outrebounded by a breathtaking 60-33 margin (22-9 on the offensive glass), the Big Red still managed to get off only four fewer shots than their opponents, and scored as many points from the field as did the Panthers, by virtue of hitting nine treys to Hanover's 1.  The game was decided at the free throw line, where DU was a woeful 8/17.  Denison had three scorers in double figures, led by Carolyn Simpson's 14, but could not overcome the titanic performance of Hanover's Molly Martin, who recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds.
Mt. Union 75, Hiram 46...Another big rebounding differential (+22 for MUC), and this time it was the difference.  MUC shot more often (+7) and more accurately (39% to 31%), and for good measure made more free throws (16) than Hiram attempted (13).  No Hiram player broke into double figures in any category other than 'minutes played;' Caitlyn Ruese had the top stat line with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
Defiance 86, Earlham 66...Although firing up threes with much less frequency than normal (16, of which 3 were successful), the results were the same for the Quakers, who drop to 1-9 on the season.  Earlham did manage to match their guests in two-pointers made (EC was 22/38, DC was 22/54), which I think confirms that this was a good change in strategy.  However, although Defiance was an unimpressive 41% inside the arc, they were a crazy 52% outside it, draining 11 treys along with any hope the EC had of being competitive.  The Yellow Jackets led from the opening gun, but the Quakers kept the game close for the first quarter, trailing by just 3 at the 10:43 mark.  However, Defiance went on a 16-4 run over the next six-plus minutes, led by 13 at the half, and Earlham never got within 10 again.  Tasha Merrill poured in 22 points to lead all scorers.

Well, that wasn't a lot of fun to type.  Maybe 2009 will be kinder to our student-athletes...

[David Collinge]

January brings a return to conference action, so here's an update of the conference and overall standings:

Ohio Wesleyan 2-0 / 6-4
Wooster 1-0 / 3-5
Denison 1-0 / 3-6
Allegheny 1-1 / 5-5
Hiram 1-1 / 2-6
Oberlin 1-1 / 1-7
Wittenberg 0-1 / 5-4
Kenyon 0-1 / 1-8
Earlham 0-2 / 1-9

Our collective non-conference record is a disturbing 20-47 (.299), with nine more non-conference games scheduled in January.  But first, a weekend of conference action is on tap, including a pair of games that could determine whether Wooster will be a factor in this race:
Friday:
Earlham at Allegheny
Denison at Wooster
Wittenberg at Hiram
OWU at Kenyon
Oberlin is idle
Saturday:
Wittenberg at Allegheny
Earlham at Hiram
Oberlin at Kenyon
Wooster at OWU
Denison is idle

Good luck to all teams, and happy new year to everybody!

[David Collinge]

Finals:
Allegheny 72, Earlham 64...Tasha Merrill had 27, including her 1,000th career point, but the Gators had four in double figures, led by Hilary Collins' 18.  No boxscore is available, so I can't continue to rag on 'Gheny for not using Brittany Bell. 
Denison 81, Wooster 66...DU used a 17-4 run midway through the second half to break open a close game.  Shaina Kaiser had 32 points, hitting 10 of 12 field goal attempts and all eight free throws.  Wooster's Kaitlin Krister posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 boards.
Kenyon 71, OWU 58...in the upset of the night, Kenyon shows that they're not going to cede their championship trophy without a fight.  KC had a +14 rebounding advantage, including a whopping 26 offensive rebounds, and held their guests to 32% shooting.  Kathleen Williams recorded a career-high 19 points to go along with 12 boards to lead the Ladies.
Wittenberg 63, Hiram 51...Wittenberg scored the last five points before halftime to open up an 11 point lead, then held the pesky Terriers at bay over the second 20:00 to record the win.  Despite a +9 rebounding advantage, Witt actually had eight fewer field goal attempts, but outshot their hosts 42%-30%.  Rachel Dixon's double-double (19/10) led the Tigers in the scorebook.  I had a chance to catch up with old friend John Strawn at the game.  John, now the assistant SID at Louisiana-Lafayette, was back in town for the holidays and took up his old chair in the Witt play-by-play booth.  Best wishes to John.

Standings:
Denison 2-0 / 4-6
Ohio Wesleyan 2-1 / 6-5
Allegheny 2-1 / 6-5
Wittenberg 1-1 / 6-4
Wooster 1-1 / 3-6
Kenyon 1-1 / 2-8
Oberlin 1-1 / 1-7
Hiram 1-2 / 2-7
Earlham 0-3 / 1-10

Saturday's games:
Wittenberg at Allegheny
Earlham at Hiram
Oberlin at Kenyon
Wooster at OWU
Denison is idle

[David Collinge]

Wittenberg 60, Allegheny 52...Tied at the half, there were five lead changes and four ties before Victoria Leali drained a three with 12:24 left, giving the Tigers a 5-point lead.  Jill Gregory responded with a layup, but that was as close as the Gators would get the rest of the way.  Allegheny still has no outside game*, and were badly outrebounded (-17, -10 in the second half), making catch-up a difficult proposition.  Witt got big games from Stephanie Boardman (19 pts., 9 reb., 3 steals) and Carrie Dyer (15 pts., 8 reb., 9/10 from the line incl. 8/8 in the second half).
*I guess it's time to retire my running Brittany Bell gag; she's still not playing, and I guess nobody is ever going to tell me why. 
Ohio Wesleyan 66, Wooster 52...OWU rights the ship with a comfortable win over the visiting Scots.  The Bishops' lead reached 11 on Pam Quigney's trey at 7:52 of the 1st, and Wooster was only able to get within single digits when Meredith Wilson hit a three just before the half.  OWU opened the second half with a steal by Tyler Cordell, leading to a Quigney layup, and OWU was never threatened again.  Quigney led all scorers with 27, including 5/10 from the arc, and Katie Hamilton added a double-double (13/11).  Wooster was led as usual by their dynamic duo, Kym Wenz (23 pts., 11 reb.) and Kaitlin Krister (14/10), but could only get 15 pts. and 10 reb. collectively from the other 9 players who saw action.
Kenyon 67, Oberlin 43...Kenyon cruised to an easy victory tonight, providing further evidence that they've put their woeful non-conference season behind them and are focusing on their title defense.  After falling behind by 10 at the half, Oberlin came out ice-cold in the second, making just two baskets in the final 20:00, principally against Kenyon's second team.  Alyssa Clark was held mostly in check, but still managed a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  On the other side, Kenyon got a very balanced effort with eleven players in the scorebook (led by Laurel Stokes' 14 points, most if not all in the first half) and no player over 23 minutes.
Hiram 70, Earlham 58...Same old same old for Earlham, who shot 54.5% from inside the arc and just 12.5% from outside, but still took 24 treys (42% of their shots.)  Hiram, by contrast, was only good on 38% of their inside shots, but hit six treys (32%) and used a +9 turnover margin to create nine more field goal attempts than their guests.  Balanced scoring was the order of the day: each team had three in double figures, but nobody had more than Tasha Merrill.  The Terriers recorded 16 assists on their 24 baskets, while the Quakers had 13 assists on their 21 hoops, suggesting either a well-played game or a generous scorekeeper.

Standings:
Denison 2-0 / 4-6
Ohio Wesleyan 3-1 / 7-5
Wittenberg 2-1 / 7-4
Kenyon 2-1 / 3-8
Allegheny 2-2 / 6-6
Hiram 2-2 / 3-7
Wooster 1-2 / 3-7
Oberlin 1-2 / 1-8
Earlham 0-4 / 1-11

This week's games:
Monday: Oberlin at Bryn Mawr
Tuesday: Oberlin at Haverford
Wednesday:
Ohio Wesleyan at Denison
Wittenberg at Earlham
Kenyon at Wooster
Penn St.-Behrend at Allegheny
Hiram at Case Western Reserve
Oberlin is idle

[David Collinge]

Oberlin 53, Bryn Mawr 47...trailing by 15 at the half, the Yeowomen came roaring back to stun the Owls and their 76 fans.  Oberlin stepped up the defensive pressure after the intermission, forcing the Owls to turn the ball over twice for every basket made (14 turnovers, 7/28 shooting).  The Yeowomen had a +6 rebounding advantage in the 2nd, including an 11-3 edge on the offensive glass, leading to 10 second-chance points, and were fouled 12 times, leading to 16 charity points.  Alyssa Clark had a huge second half with 18 points and 8 boards, giving her a double-double with 25 and 12.  Little-used Emily Chu Finkel came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds, while Syrea Thomas contributed 11 points including 7-of-9 from the free throw line.  Oberlin continues their midwinter trip down the Main Line tomorrow at Haverford.

[David Collinge]

Kenyon's Kathleen Williams posted a double-double, including a career high 19 points, in leading Kenyon to a victory over Ohio Wesleyan Friday, and today was rewarded as the NCAC Player of the Week.  Kathleen added another 8 points in limited minutes against Oberlin on Saturday, giving her weekly totals of 27 points and 14 rebounds.  Congratulations on the honor, Kathleen!

[David Collinge]

Oberlin 72, Haverford 64 (OT)...Oberlin pulls out a thriller at Haverford, a game which went to OT on a Haverford buzzer-beater off an inbounds play with 0:02 in regulation.  Taking the momentum into the OT, the Fords raced out to a six-point lead, their largest of the game, only to see the Yeowomen finish the game on a 14-0 run to complete a perfect Main Line trip.  The Yeowomen were led by Syrea Thomas' 26 points, which included 5/8 shooting from the arc, with an additional 21 mostly late-game points and seven assists from Alyssa Clark.  Emily Chu Finkel notched her second straight huge game with 12 rebounds, 9 points (despite a 3/12 free throw performance), and a huge assist on Clark's three that gave the Yeowomen the OT lead. 

[David Collinge]

Denison 70, Ohio Wesleyan 59...The Big Red take a chokehold on the top spot, with wins over both of main contenders: first Wittenberg, and now OWU.  Denison got balanced scoring, getting 40 points from their bench while the Bishops could muster just 5.  The Big Red were also on fire from downtown, draining 10 of 21 treys, including 3 of 5 from Shaina Kaiser, the game's leading scorer with 18.  Three other DU players reached double figures, all of them off the bench, and while Carolyn Simpson was held to just 4 points, she compensated by ripping down 13 rebounds.  Katie Hamilton had her second straight huge game for the Bishops, scoring 15 points and grabbing 18 boards including 8 on the offensive glass.
Wittenberg 78, Earlham 59...Good things happen when you get 63 rebounds, especially when 35 of them are on the offensive end.  They happened tonight at Earlham as Witt kept pace with Denison in an easy win over the Quakers.  Carrie Dyer, who has played her way into the starting lineup, led a very balanced Tiger attack with 14 points and 10 boards.  Nikki Darrett (20) and Tasha Merrill (16) were the top scorers for the hosts, but the rest of the squad could only contribute 23 points on 7 for 21 shooting.
Wooster 56, Kenyon 48...In a defensive struggle at Wooster that featured more turnovers (46) than baskets (37), the Scots used their superior height to end the Ladies' modest two-game winning streak.  Neither team could break the 40% shooting mark (COW 38.5%, KC 34%) and treys were scarce (COW 2/7, KC 3/18), but Wooster was able to out score their guests by 10 in the paint and by 3 at the line, more than enough to secure the victory.  Wooster was led by the usual suspects, Kym Wenz (23 points, 6 boards, 6 assists) and Kaitlin Krister (16 points, 6 boards, 3 blocks), while Kenyon got 17 points from Kat Powers.
Penn St.-Behrend 64, Allegheny 63...The Gators drop a heartbreaker in Erie.  'Gheny had a huge 51-27 rebounding edge and shot 43% on the night, but Behrend recorded 18 steals and 13 other Gator turnovers, evening up the FG attempted stat, and Behrend's shooting percentage (44%) was just as good as their guests.  So what was the difference?  Behrend sank five threes (in 11 attempts), while 'Gheny was treyless in just two attempts.    Jill Gregory led the Gators qith 19, while Emilie Simone contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Case Western Reserve 69, Hiram 52...Case shot just a little better (41%-35%), rebounded just a little better (42-39), took care of the ball just a little better (19-21), dished the ball just a little better (17-13), and shot free throws a whole heckuva lot better (14 of 22 vs. 6 of 14).  In fact, this game was tight for the last 35 minutes, with Hiram outscoring the Spartans 52-49 over that period.  Unfortunately, the game was underway for 4:43 before anyone told the Terriers about it, a span which saw Case run out to a fuhgeddaboudit 20-0 lead.  Jess Cowan led the visitors with 14 points on 4 of 9 shooting.

Standings:
Denison 3-0 / 5-6
Wittenberg 3-1 / 8-4
Ohio Wesleyan 3-2 / 7-6
Allegheny 2-2 / 6-7
Wooster 2-2 / 4-7
Hiram 2-2 / 3-8
Kenyon 2-2 / 3-9
Oberlin 1-2 / 3-8
Earlham 0-5 / 1-12

This weekend's games:
Friday:  Wooster at Ursuline
Saturday:
Hiram at Denison
Oberlin at Wittenberg
Allegheny at Ohio Wesleyan
Kenyon at Earlham
Wooster is idle

[David Collinge]

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Nevertheless...

Ursuline 66, Wooster 63...The Scots led by 4 at the half and extended the lead to 9 with 11:43 left, then Usruline went on a 21-6 run over the next 7:13, capped off by a technical on the Wooster bench.  The Scots clawed back, closing to within one point with 0:52 left, then Samantha Justice stole the ball and had a chance to give the visitors the lead, but her jumper with 0:10 remaining went awry, allowing the Arrows to escape with the victory.  Kym Wenz led the Wooster scoring with 20, and while Kaitlin Krister was held six and a half points below her season average, she was still a force with 13 rebounds and five assists. 

[David Collinge]

Sports and weather on the 8's...
Hiram at Denison...postponed until 1pm Sunday
Oberlin at Wittenberg...postponed until 3pm Sunday
As far as I can tell, the Allegheny at OWU game is still on (1pm), although the men's game at OWU (vs. Hiram) has been postponed, as has Allegheny's swim meet at Hiram.  If it gets played, it will be streamed live on OWU's website.
It appears that the Kenyon at Earlham women's/men's doubleheader (1pm/3pm) is still on.

[David Collinge]

Ohio Wesleyan 72, Allegheny 56...The shorthanded Gators gave a game effort but couldn't overcome the homestanding Bishops.  Allegheny was missing Brittany Bell, of course, and also senior leaders Stephanie Wolf and Hilary Collins, who were injured when they collided with one another during Wednesday's game vs. Behrend.  Still, the Gators played outstanding defense, making life difficult for the OWU offense for most of the first half.  Not difficult enough, however, as the Bishops were able to knock down 28% of their shots, including 3 points, in establishing a 7 point halftime lead.  After the half, OWU's depth and inside advantage came to the fore as the Bishops secured the win.  Katie Hamilton continued her recent run of strong games with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Tyler Cordell contributed a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards, and added 6 assists to boot.  Jill Gregory led the Gators with 17 points, and Shannon Culbreath contributed 11 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive glass.
Kenyon 69, Earlham 52...Kenyon hit just one in three shots in limping to a halftime tie with the last-place Quakers, but the second half was a whole 'nother story.  The second-half Ladies blistered the nets at a 58% clip, including a 4/8 performance from the arc, and ran away for the easy victory.  Kenyon got 39 points from their bench, including career-highs from first-years Suzanne Kahle (19) and Andrea Pohly (17).  Laurel Stokes, a three-year starter, also notched a career-high with 19 points.  Earlham's scoring came primarily from Tasha Merrill (15) and Nikki Darrett (14), but they combined to shoot 8 for 25, including 2 for 9 from the arc.  The Quakers collectively were 4 of 24 (17%) on three-pointers, with such shots comprising nearly 40% of the offense.  Have I mentioned that it's tough to win when the thing you do worst is the thing you do most?

Standings:
Denison 3-0 / 5-6
Wittenberg 3-1 / 8-4
Ohio Wesleyan 4-2 / 8-6
Kenyon 3-2 / 4-9
Wooster 2-2 / 4-7
Hiram 2-2 / 3-8
Allegheny 2-3 / 6-8
Oberlin 1-2 / 3-8
Earlham 0-6 / 1-13

Sunday's (makeup) games:
Hiram at Denison
Oberlin at Wittenberg

[David Collinge]

Two fairly non-competitive games today, with little elaboration required:
Denison 81, Hiram 53...Hiram scored the game's first four points, but the conference leaders scored the next 13 and the Terriers never caught back up.  They actually closed the gap to five points on a few occasions, the latest being at 15:17 of the 2nd period, but an 11-2 DU run over the next five minutes sealed the deal.  Denison got scoring contributions from eleven players, led by Shaina Kaiser and Sarah Perrine, each with 15.  Hiram's Ashley Drum led all scorers with 17 on a nice 8/12 shooting afternoon.
Wittenberg 81, Oberlin 41...It took the Tigers a little longer than the Big Red to shake their opponents, as the game was tied after seven and a half minutes, but when they got the lead for good, they never looked back.  Wittenberg finished the half on a 26-10 run, then blew out their guests in a big second half.  Doing Denison one better, Witt got twelve women into the scorebook, led by a huge 24 point, 13 rebound effort from Stephanie Boardman.  Alyssa Clark contributed 17 points and 8 boards for the Yeowomen.

Standings:
Denison 4-0 / 6-6
Wittenberg 4-1 / 9-4
Ohio Wesleyan 4-2 / 8-6
Kenyon 3-2 / 4-9
Wooster 2-2 / 4-7
Allegheny 2-3 / 6-8
Hiram 2-3 / 3-9
Oberlin 1-3 / 3-9
Earlham 0-6 / 1-13

Wednesday's games:
Wooster at Denison
Wittenberg at Kenyon
Oberlin at Allegheny
Hiram at Carnegie Mellon
Ohio Wesleyan and Earlham are idle

[David Collinge]

Congratulations to Denison's Sarah Perrine, this week's NCAC Player of the Week.  Perrine shot a fabulous 81% from the field in posting 31 total points in wins over OWU and Hiram, helping the Big Red stay atop the conference chase.  Congratulations, Sarah!

[David Collinge]

NCAC Women's Hoops...all the posts, none of the infighting! 

Kenyon 45, Wittenberg 44...As frigid as it was outside the KAC tonight, it was even icier around the baskets inside Tomsich Arena, at least the basket on the eastern wall (which happens to be an exterior wall...hmm...).  In the first half, Wittenberg barely disturbed the frozen twine, connecting on just four of 27 attempts.  Kenyon bolted to a 9-0 lead which expanded to 23-7, but had trouble hanging on to the icy rock (14 turnovers) and led by just 9 at the half.  After changing ends, Wittenberg's defense put Kenyon in the deep freeze, as the Ladies were able to drain just a single field goal in the final 12-plus minutes, and just six for the half.  It was enough to put the Tigers back in the game, but not quite enough to secure the victory as the Ladies limped home with a wire-to-wire victory.  The offenses, which combined for 17 more turnovers than baskets, were so stagnant that the game's co-leading scorers were Wittenberg's Victoria Leali and Sarah Watson with just 10 each.  Both teams were short-handed, as Kenyon was missing leading scorer Kat Powers and frosh Morgan Korinek, while Rachel Dixon and Allie Leopard sat out for Witt. 
Denison 77, Wooster 45...Denison shut down the Kym Wenz (13 pts. on 5-13 shooting) and Kaitlin Krister (7 pts., 4 rebounds) show, and Wooster hasn't demonstrated that they can win any other way.  Denison outshot Wooster 44%-33%, outrebounded the Scots by 10, and forced 21 turnovers leading to 19 points.  Three Big Red players scored in double figures, including a big night from Carolyn Simpson, who had 10 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks.
Allegheny 34, Oberlin 33...No, that's not the halftime score.  There were just 24 total points scored in the second half as the two teams combined to shoot 10 for 62 (16%).  I'm glad I wasn't there!  Allegheny, still playing without Stephanie Wolf, Hilary Collins, and Brittany Bell, scored the game's first four points, then watched Oberlin go on a 17-0 run to lead by 13 with just over 8 minutes gone.  Oberlin would, however, make just one more first-half field goal and shoot just 13% for the balance of the game, as the Gators (who torched the nets at a 22% clip) were able to get back to within one at the half.  The Gators made their last field goal with 6:22 remaining, a trey by Jill Gregory, breaking a 31-all tie, but Oberlin remained dormant until a January Baker layup with 0:07 left.  No doubt flabbergasted by this offensive outburst by the Yeowomen, Allegheny promptly turned the ball over, but Alyssa Clark's last-gasp layup was, appropriately enough, another miss.  Clark did record 39% of her team's offensive output with 13 points, while Emilie Simone (15) had 44% of the Gator tally.  There was no shortage of rebounds; the game's top rebounder was the suddenly resurgent Emily Chu Finkel with 15, including 6 offenisve rebounds--although none of those offensive boards were converted into Oberlin points.  Lauren Donahoe had 12 caroms to lead Allegheny, one better than Emilie Simone, who recorded a double-double.
Carnegie Mellon 70, Hiram 53...I guess Pennsylvania (and Gambier...ed) is where NCAC teams go to miss baskets.  The Terriers got 15 apiece from Jess Cowan and Pamela Spencer, but the rest of the team combined to underperform both Oberlin and Allegheny, making just 7 of 36 shots (19%).  The Tartans, who only made a third of their own shots, had a huge 63-37 advantage on the boards, including 29 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second chance points and a 42-18 advantage on points in the paint.  CMU had two players record double-doubles (Jacki Cortese with 17 pts. and 13 boards, and Rachelle Roll with 12 and 20) and, after trailing 5-4 early on, never trailed again.

Standings:
Denison 5-0 / 7-6
Wittenberg 4-2 / 9-5
Ohio Wesleyan 4-2 / 8-6
Kenyon 4-2 / 5-9
Allegheny 3-3 / 7-8
Wooster 2-3 / 4-8
Hiram 2-3 / 3-10
Oberlin 1-4 / 3-10
Earlham 0-6 / 1-13

Saturday's games:
Denison at Oberlin
Earlham at OWU
Allegheny at Kenyon
Hiram at Wooster
Wittenberg is idle