WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

With all the conference action wrapped up for the holidays, we have a couple of non-conference tilts for your Tuesday pleasure:

Bethany (3-5) at Denison (6-1), 6pm -- Live Audio -- Game 1 of a Bethany/Denison double-header; the men's game promises Live Stats, so I'd check to see if they'll have it for the women as well.
Waynesburg (2-4) at Kenyon (6-3), 7:30 pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video

[David Collinge]

Denison 61, Bethany 48...Trailing 19-10 midway through the first period, the Big Red ripped off what would end up as a 27-3 run to open up a double-digit lead that they'd not relinquish as Denison cruised to their seventh straight victory.  Turnovers were the story of the game, as DU committed just ten while forcing 23 Bison giveaways.  Denison overcame ice-cold shooting from the arc, hitting just 2/17 (12%) for the game, by hitting more than half of their shots inside the arc (26/51, 51%).  Haley Dahlgard, who hit both of the DU treys, led all scorers with 18 points.

Kenyon 70, Waynesburg 53...In the first half, Kenyon would build a decent lead, only to have the Yellow Jackets cut it back to 3 or so, and this pattern continued for the first 20:00, at which point Kenyon led 30-27.  Waynesburg couldn't keep it up in the second half, however, as Kenyon dominated, building a double-digit lead by the mid-half point and maintaining it the rest of the way.  Both teams were sloppy, with more combined turnovers (49) than buckets (47), and in point of fact, it was a pretty dull game.  When Kenyon wasn't giving the ball away, they were scoring, hitting at a sizzling 58% clip.  Morgan Korinek was her usual sharp self, connecting on 8 of 10 attempts from the field for a game-high 19 points.

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 7-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 5-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-3
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-5
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-5
Earlham 0-2, 1-5
Hiram 0-2, 0-6

[David Collinge]

Two more games tonight, one non-conference and one ex-conference:

Case Western Reserve (6-1) at Hiram (0-6), 7pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video -- Spartans have won six straight, the last three over members of their former conference, while Terriers have (obviously) lost six straight.
Wooster (2-5) at Defiance (4-4), 7:30 6pm -- Live Stats

------------------------------
Clearly, I had the tip time wrong for the Scots game, as it was already over when I tuned in.  And I'm not sorry I missed it:
Defiance 77, Wooster 63...Kym Wenz suffered through a 5-for-20, 12-point evening, and while her teammates picked up the slack (notably, Kaitlin Krister with 19 points and 12 boards), it wasn't enough.  The game stayed close for the first nine minutes or so, but Defiance used a 10-0 run to open an 18-point halftime lead, and Wooster couldn't get closer than a dozen the rest of the way.  Although they held a large lead for most of the game, the margin of victory for the Yellow Jackets is accounted for in the free throw discrepancy, as Defiance hit 22 free throws (of 32 attempts), versus just 7 (of 9) for the Scots.  (Wooster was whistled for 23 fouls, to just 15 for the Jackets; if I were a conspiracy theorist, well...but, alas, I'm not.)

Case Western Reserve 85, Hiram 56..."Turnover: Hiram."  That two-word phrase by itself constituted about 20% of the audio portion of tonight's videocast.  The five of us who were tuned in (give a shout if you're reading this) are going to hear that phrase in our sleep tonight.  "Turnover: Hiram."  The Terriers had unending difficulty with the Spartan defense, committing 30 turnovers, leading to a +14 advantage in shots attempted for the rampaging visitors, despite being outrebounded by 9.  Case put those extra attempts to good use, too, hitting 45% overall and 50% (10/20) from the arc.  "Turnover: Hiram."  The Terriers' attack was both balanced (10 scorers) and anemic (35% shooting, nobody with more than 9 points.)  "Turnover: Hiram."  

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 7-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 5-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-3
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-5
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-6
Earlham 0-2, 1-5
Hiram 0-2, 0-7

[David Collinge]

A rare busy Friday schedule on tap:
Carnegie Mellon (4-3) at Hiram (0-7), 6pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video
Alma (1-7) at Wooster (2-6), 6pm -- Live Stats
Bethany (3-6) at OWU (5-2), 7pm DELAYED to 8:15pm -- Live Stats

----------------------------

Needing a day off from commentary, I'll just report the scores.  Sorry.
Carnegie Mellon 59, Hiram 53
Alma 65, Wooster 59
OWU 58, Bethany 45

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 7-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 6-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-3
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-5
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-5
Hiram 0-2, 0-8

[David Collinge]

Saturday affairs:
Earlham (1-5) at Anderson (3-5), 1pm -- no coverage that I can locate
Hiram (0-8) at Thiel (2-6), 7pm -- no coverage that I can locate
Wittenberg (3-3) at #10 Thomas More (7-0), 1pm -- Live Stats and Audio

----------------

Thos. More 70, Wittenberg 55
Anderson 70, Earlham 51
Thiel 52, Hiram 48

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 7-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 6-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-4
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-5
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-6
Hiram 0-2, 0-9

[David Collinge]

Two final games before the holiday break both scheduled for Monday.

Alma (2-8) at Ohio Wesleyan (6-2), 3pm -- Live Stats -- the finish of a three-city Ohio tour for the Scots, who beat Wooster Friday and lost at John Carroll Saturday.
St. Mary-of-the-Woods (3-5) at Earlham (1-6), 7pm -- Live Stats and Audio -- SMWC is a USCAA member and will host the Quakers in a return game on Jan. 12.

I'll be traveling tomorrow, so score reports may be delayed.  After these games, the conference as a whole will be off until next Monday, 12/28.

----------------

OWU easily holds off Alma, 81-58.  Kayla Gordon was 10 for 17 producing a game-high 25 points, while Tyler Cordell added 18 points, 6 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Earlham holds St. Mary-of-the-Woods scoreless for the last 2:43, and draws to within one with 1:15 left, and despite forcing two SMWC turnovers, can't get that last point, falling to the Pomeroys 75-74.  Jessica Wooden led four Quakers in double figures with 17.

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 7-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 7-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-4
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-5
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-7
Hiram 0-2, 0-9

[David Collinge]

So, to all of my loyal but silent readers, as well as anyone else who stumbles in here, I wish a happy holiday season, whether your holiday is Christmas, Hannukah, Kwaanza, the Solstice, Festivus, or just days off of work or school.  And if you are traveling, please be safe.  See you next week! 

[David Collinge]

The current weather in Meadville is 20 degrees with light snow, whereas in Daytona Beach it is partly cloudy and 62.  That said, here's today's schedule.

Denison (7-1) vs. Rose-Hulman (1-8) at Westerville, 1pm -- Live Stats and Audio (Otterbein)
Allegheny (4-5) vs. Tufts (8-1) at Daytona Beach, 2pm -- Live Stats and Video

-----------------------

No problems so far for the Big Red, who took a 36-17 halftime lead, with three players already in double figures.  Not satisfied with that, Sara Lee's troops put the hammer down early in the second half, quickly extending the lead to 30, and didn't let up as they smoked the Engineers by a 71-38 score.  Everybody played, but none played better than Shaina Kaiser, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.  DU held Rose to just 21% shooting while forcing 21 turnovers.

Allegheny is having done to them what Denison did unto others, trailing the Jumbos 51-25 late in the first half (the "live" stats went dead with 2:23 remaining.)  It would seem that the Gators made a late run to make the final score, 83-69, a respectable one.  I wouldn't know, however, since Embry-Riddle (the host school) is another of those that think that ultra-gimmicky versions of Live Stats, with court schematics and bouncing basketballs and such, are really cool even if they don't work.  Today's failed twice, as noted above and with 7:xx left in the 2nd.  I am thankful for the ability to follow games remotely via live stats (to say nothing of audio or [free] videocasts), but it does me no good if the service fails, as these fancy-schmanzy versions of Live Stats routinely do.  Harumph.  [/rant]

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 8-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 7-2
Wittenberg 2-0, 3-4
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-6
Oberlin 1-1, 1-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-7
Hiram 0-2, 0-9

[David Collinge]

We have a busy schedule tomorrow, which you may (or may not, as the case may be) be able to follow with the links below:

Allegheny (4-6) vs. Carroll (4-4) at Daytona Beach, noon -- Live Stats & Video
Denison (8-1) vs. Hanover (6-3) at Otterbein, 1pm -- Live Stats and Audio (Otterbein) -- Hanover's record does not include their game this evening vs. Otterbein
Grove City (4-4) at Wittenberg (3-4), 2:15pm -- Live Audio -- Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic
Hiram (0-9) at Salem St. (3-4), 5pm -- Live Video
Olivet (1-9) at Ohio Wesleyan (7-2), 6pm -- Live Stats -- Bishop Classic/Hoops for Hope Tournament
Heidelberg (3-7) at Oberlin (1-8), 7pm -- Live Stats and Video -- Heidelberg is 3-0 at home and 0-7 on the road
Earlham (1-7) at Mt. St. Joseph (5-6), 7:30pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video

[David Collinge]

Carroll 87, Allegheny 56...It seems that the Gators forgot to pack their defense for their Florida trip, as for the second time in two days an opponent hung a 50-spot on them in the first half.  For the game the Pioneers hit a blazing 58% of their shots, including an 8/12 showing from the arc, while the Gators had to settle for 38% shooting and nine misses from international waters.  'Gheny recorded a paltry four assists on their 22 baskets.  Jill Gregory led the Pennsylvanians with 13 points, one of three Gators in double figures.

Denison vs. Hanover...The Live Stats spent much of the game frozen in place, and the audio would only play sound bites lasting exactly one second.  First rate stuff, Otterbein! I wish I understood why Live Stats has such a high failure rate.  Anyway...
Denison 72, Hanover 69...a short jumper from Shaina Kaiser with 0:08 remaining gave Denison the lead, and a turnover with 0:03 on the clock put the thriller on ice for the Big Red.  DU had a 5-point halftime lead, but surrendered the lead with 11:29 remaining on a layup that would be the first of 12 lead changes down the stretch.  Kaiser led the Big Red with 25 points and seven rebounds, while first-year point guard Serafina Nuzzo chipped in 19 points to go along with 5 assists. 

Wittenberg 54, Grove City 36...Wittenberg had such an abundance of defense that they easily could have loaned some to Allegheny.  Grove City, who has a win at Washington & Jefferson on their resume, could only connect on 26% of their shots--and none of their 14 three-pointers--and registered just two first-half touchdowns.  Stephanie Boardman notched a double-double (19 & 10) in her 27 minutes.  Witt will next face Case Western Reserve, who continued their surprising season with a 68-66 victory over Wilmington, in tomorrow's Zimmerman classic title game.

Salem St. 59, Hiram 30...Well, 16% shooting from the field is just not going to get it done.  Hiram had the perfect storm of awfulness in their box score today:  just 10 points at the half, overall 52% from the line, 8% from the arc, outrebounded by seven, 23 turnovers, and no player with more than 6 points, in addition to the above-quoted stat.  Let's just chalk this one up and move forward.

Olivet 65, OWU 62...Oh, my.  Trailing 32-20 at the half, I'm sure the Bishop locker room was a distinctly unpleasant place.  After the break, OWU managed to erase the deficit within the first 9 minutes, but could never shake the pesky Comets.  Then the unthinkable happened: with 5:36 left, Olivet embarked on an 11-2 run, turning a 3-point deficit to a 6-point lead they'd not relinquish.  OWU's problem was depth: each of their four main threats scored in double figures (Tyler Cordell's 16 leading the tally), but the rest of the roster combined for a measly seven points on 3/12 shooting.  Olivet overcame 31 turnovers by shooting 52% and forcing 24 OWU giveaways.  (score corrected; tip o' the cap to OC_SID)

Oberlin 65, Heidelberg 62...That's more like it!  Oberlin scores the game's final five points to keep the 'Berg "perfect" on the road.  Syrea Thomas had a big game, scoring 28 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and making 6 steals.  Kelly Warlich added 18 points and 8 boards, while Allison Anderson contributed 8 assists and 9 rebounds.  Overall, the stats were pretty even, with free throws providing the margin of victory: the Yeowomen were 9 of 10, while the 'Berg missed half of their eight chances at the stripe. 

Mt. St. Joseph 79, Earlham 51...MSJ controlled this one throughout, never trailing while shooting 56% and holding a +12 rebound margin.  The EC, which hit just 31% of their shots, were led by ten-point efforts from Jayana Sims and Starr Gary. 

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 9-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 7-3
Wittenberg 2-0, 4-4
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-7
Oberlin 1-1, 2-8
Wooster 0-2, 2-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-8
Hiram 0-2, 0-10

[OC_SID]

Olivet 63, OWU 60...Oh, my.  Trailing 32-20 at the half, I'm sure the Bishop locker room was a distinctly unpleasant place.  After the break, OWU managed to erase the deficit within the first 9 minutes, but could never shake the pesky Comets.  Then the unthinkable happened: with 5:36 left, Olivet embarked on an 11-2 run, turning a 3-point deficit to a 6-point lead they'd not relinquish.  OWU's problem was depth: each of their four main threats scored in double figures (Tyler Cordell's 16 leading the tally), but the rest of the roster combined for a measly seven points on 3/12 shooting.  Olivet overcame 31 turnovers by shooting 52% and forcing 24 OWU giveaways.  

The final was actually 65-62 ... Olivet's Olivia Yarrell had a career-high 29 points on 14-of-16 shooting ... Missed her first shot and then made 14 consecutive baskets before missing her final shot.

[David Collinge]

Thanks for the correction, OC.  I sometimes get confused trying to cover so many games at once!  Good luck tomorrow against CMU and ODU.

----------------

Speaking of tomorrow, here's the action:
Franklin at OWU, 1pm -- Live Stats and Video -- Hoops for Hope Classic consolation game
Hiram vs. Nichols at Salem St., 1pm -- no coverage -- Salem St. Tournament consolation game
Westminster at Wooster, 2:30pm -- Live Stats
Case Western Reserve at Wittenberg, 4:30pm -- Live Stats and Audio -- Zimmerman Classic championship game

[David Collinge]

Franklin 82, OWU 76...OWU's lack of depth was their downfall in this over-officiated game.  The Bishops' main scoring threats were all in foul trouble for much of the second half; Kayla Gordon only saw 18 minutes of action, while Dany Finck logged just 27 minutes.  Their absence helped pave the way for Franklin's Heather Harper to tie the tournament scoring record, set just last night by Olivet's Olivia Yarrell against these same post-defense-deficient Bishops, with 29 points on 10/14 shooting.  With "the franchise," as they are known by the webcasting Yoder brothers, all spending significant time on the bench, the bench needed to step up, but again they failed to be of much help, contributing only 15 points (from just two players), just four of them in the second half.  OWU had a one-point halftime lead and expanded it to nine in the first five minutes of the second period, but a 10-0 Franklin run turned the tide.  OWU briefly re-took a two-point lead, but a bucket and two free throws by Harper put the Grizzlies back on top with 10:26 left, and they were never headed again.

BREAKING NEWS!
Hiram 52, Nichols 49...The box score suggests that Hiram is a team that knows how to win, despite this being their first of the season.  The game was close throughout; neither team had a lead larger than 5 at any point.  Hiram took a two-point lead on a Brittany Mayle trey with 14:30 left, and were never headed again.  Nichols managed to forge a few ties, the latest being with 5:44 left, but each time the Terriers had the answer.  Mayle led the victors with 18 points .  Congratulations to the Terriers!

Wooster 69, Westminster 48...The Scots had a slender two-point lead at the half, and the Titans were still within 5 with less than seven minutes to play.  That's when Wooster exploded, ending the game on a 21-5 run to secure their third victory of the season.  Kym Wenz' shooting touch was mostly cold, but she compensated by spending copious amounts of time at the free throw line, where she was 10 of 13 leading to her game-high 23 points.  Wenz also contributed five of Wooster's 19 steals; the Scots had a 26-4 edge in points off turnovers.  Wooster also had an advantage in points in the paint (30-20), despite being outrebounded by nine (41-50).

The final score of the Wittenberg/Case Western Reserve game was 60-58, but search me who won.  I missed most of the second half, and I wish I hadn't!  Evidently there was some scoring error at the table, wherein a Witt basket was credited to CWRU, so the final score on the scoreboard in the arena, which I gather is the official one, is
CWRU 60, Wittenberg 58; however, the Live Stats shows the opposite result.  It's all very confusing.  I think I'll wait for the official release to appear at Wittenberg.edu before making further comment.  But they're handing out the trophies now, and it's Case that's packing up the hardware, so I guess they are the champions.  UPDATE:  There's no mention of the kerfuffle in Ryan Maurer's write-up, as I should have expected, since Ryan and Coach Jurewicz are all about winning and losing with dignity.  In her post-game interview, Coach J. talked about missed opportunities and what the Tigers can take away from the game, and that's the way it should be.  Thumbs up to the Witt program.

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 9-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 7-4
Wittenberg 2-0, 4-5
Kenyon 1-1, 7-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-7
Oberlin 1-1, 2-8
Wooster 0-2, 3-7
Earlham 0-2, 1-8
Hiram 0-2, 1-10

[David Collinge]

Just one more game in 2009, and what better way is there to spend New Year's Eve?

Earlham (1-8) at Adrian (3-4), 2pm -- Live Stats

Five games on Saturday, so people, please, stay sober.

[David Collinge]

Here's the Springfield News-Sun on the Wittenberg game and misfortune:
Scoring Mistake Costs Witt Women a Victory