WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Adrian 71, Earlham 64...Father Time gives the Quakers one more good thwack on the noggin on his way out the door for the year.  Down by 14 late in the first half, the EC fought back to within six by the half, and actually took a brief 2-point lead five minutes into the second.  The visitors hung around for another five minutes, but a 17-4 Adrian run over the next four minutes turned a tie game into a victory lap for the Michiganders.  Nikki Darrett's 22 points led all scorers, while Starr Gary recorded a double-double with 11 pts. & 10 reb. 

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, 1-9
Hiram 0-2, 1-10

Happy New Year, one and all!

[David Collinge]

Saturday's slate--you go, girls! 

Muskingum at Kenyon, 2pm ~3pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video -- The men's game, scheduled for noon, was delayed due to late-arriving officials
Marygrove at Oberlin, 2pm -- Live Stats, Audio, and Video
Denison at Heidelberg, 3pm -- Live Stats -- reminder that Heidelberg, although just 3-8 on the season, is unbeaten at home
Ohio Northern at Wittenberg, 3pm -- Live Stats and Audio -- Let's count 'em all this time, shall we? 
Wooster at Trine, 3pm -- Live Audio

[David Collinge]

Marygrove 60, Oberlin 53...The Yeowomen were in control of this game for most of the first 33 minutes, at the end of which they held a five-point lead.  However, Marygrove subsequently went on a 9-0 run and held the homestanders to a mere four points the rest of the way to claim the victory.  With Syrea Thomas and Allison Anderson held mostly in check, Oberlin looked to Kelly Warlich and Emily Chu Finkel, and they responded; Warlich recorded 18 points and nine boards, while Chu Finkel had a double double with 11 and 11.

Ohio Northern 56, Wittenberg 49...Perhaps fighting an emotional hangover from their travails earlier in the week, Witt slumped out to a 14-2 deficit.  The Tigers righted the ship, but never got any closer than three the rest of the way.  Witt shot just 31% (and only made three of 22 treys) and turned the ball over 17 times, contributing to their downfall.  Stephanie Boardman managed 13 points to lead the Tigers.

Kenyon 77, Muskingum 59...Close at the half (32-29), the Ladies rolled over their guests in the second half en route to a convincing victory.  Kenyon hit 45% and dominated the glass with a +20 advantage.  Morgan Korinek's 16 points led five Ladies with ten or more points.

Denison 70, Heidelberg 59...The Big Red, down nine early, end Heidelberg's home winning streak with a comfortable victory in Tiffin.  Shaina Kaiser was uncharacteristically cold from the floor (3/10) but collected 11 points from the free throw line and led the visitors with 18.  DU held their hosts to under 30% shooting and forced 23 turnovers, and although Heidelberg had a huge +20 rebounding margin, including 30 offensive boards, they couldn't take advantage, scoring 19 second-chance points, only three more than Denison. 

Trine 52, Wooster 50...Aiming to control Wooster's Special K's, Trine got it half right, and it was just enough.  Kym Wenz got her points, scoring 22, but Kaitlin Krister was held scoreless as the former Tri-State scored the come-from-behind victory.

Updated standings:
Denison 2-0 conference, 10-1 overall
OWU 2-0, 7-4
Wittenberg 2-0, 4-6
Kenyon 1-1, 8-3
Allegheny 1-1, 4-7
Oberlin 1-1, 2-9
Wooster 0-2, 3-8
Earlham 0-2, 1-9
Hiram 0-2, 1-10

[David Collinge]

I'm afraid I've been remiss in my making notice of the NCAC Player of the Week, and overlooked the Dec. 21 winner, OWU's Kayla Gordon.  Kayla was recognized for her 19-point, 9-board performance against Bethany.  Congratulations & my apologies, Kayla!

Today, she is joined as the weekly award winner by Hiram's Brittany Mayle, whose 18-point outburst led her team to their first victory of the season on Wednesday.  Congratulations, Brittany!

[David Collinge]

This weekend is the first Big Trip_TM weekend of the season, as Hiram and Allegheny will travel west to visit Earlham and Wittenberg.  During those weeks, the mid-week game day is shifted to Tuesday, and so we have a full slate of games tomorrow.

Allegheny (1-1) at Oberlin (1-1), 7pm -- Live Everything (stats, audio, video)
Kenyon (1-1) at Earlham (0-2), 7:30pm -- Live stats and audio
OWU (2-0) at Wooster (0-2), 7:30pm -- Live stats -- at some point, Wooster's Woo91 is going to start audio-streaming Wooster women's games; check here to see if this is one of them
Wittenberg (2-0) at Denison (2-0), 7:30pm -- Live stats; Live audio (Witt) -- this is the game to attend, if you are in the area
Hiram (0-2) is idle

The other Big Trip_TM weekend is Feb. 5-6.

[David Collinge]

Three unexpectedly close games, and one unexpected blowout:

Allegheny 80, Oberlin 69 (OT)...Brittany Bell had ten of her 24 points in the overtime, as 'Gheny finally took command of a game that had been nip and tuck throughout.  Shannon Culbreath had an interesting game, contributing 13 boards and five assists without scoring.  Allison Anderson's 23 and Kelly Warlich's double-double (16&10) led the Yeowomen.

Ohio Wesleyan 70, Wooster 60...The Bishops led most of the way, but couldn't get any breathing room as Wooster used a rare balanced effort to stay close.  Taylor Keegan was a surprise scoring leader for the Scots with 14, as Kym Wenz and Kaitlin Krister were held to 11 apiece.  On the other side of the scorer's table, it was the usual suspects as both Tyler Cordell and Pam Quigney had 20-point games (21 for Cordell). 

Wittenberg 79, Denison 58...Mind you, this game was at Denison.  Wittenberg pounded the glass (+13), clamped down on DU's scorers (Kaiser 6, Dahlgard 2, overall 31% shooting), and got a career game from Katherine Hueter with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.  Wittenberg seizes the early momentum in the conference race from the Big Red, who saw their 10-game win streak come to an end.

Kenyon 66, Earlham 60...Kenyon was in control of this game for most of its duration, but Earlham refused to be put away and kept fighting right to the end.  EC actually outscored the Ladies by 14 in the second half, but ran out of time before they could complete their comeback.  Morgan Korinek led the way with a 15 point, 13 rebound effort.  Earlham got 18 apiece from Starr Gary and Nikki Darrett, with Darrett's 10 rebounds also giving her a double-double, but got little contribution out of the rest of the roster.

Updated standings:
OWU 3-0 conference, 8-4 overall
Wittenberg 3-0, 5-6
Denison 2-1, 10-2
Kenyon 2-1, 9-3
Allegheny 2-1, 5-7
Oberlin 1-2, 2-10
Hiram 0-2, 1-10
Wooster 0-3, 3-9
Earlham 0-3, 1-10

[David Collinge]

Weather permitting, here's Friday's schedule:

Allegheny (2-1) at Earlham (0-3), 6pm -- Live stats and audio
Hiram (0-2) at Wittenberg (3-0), 7:30pm -- Live Everything
OWU (3-0) at Oberlin (1-2), 7:30pm -- Live Everything -- Pushed back from 7pm in anticipation of poor weather
Wooster (0-3) at Denison (2-1), 7:30pm -- Live stats
Kenyon (2-1) is idle

[David Collinge]

Earlham 75, Allegheny 69...the first big standings-shaking upset of the season takes place in Richmond as the Quakers take a thriller.  Earlham held the Gators scoreless for a 4 1/2 minute stretch of the second half, using a 13-0 run to build an 11-point lead with just over 5:00 left, and although 'Gheny got as close as two down the stretch, the Quakers never again ceded the lead.  The EC shot a blistering 53% overall and 57% from the arc, and controlled the boards 38-22.  Nikki Darrett led four Quakers in double figures with 15 points, enhanced by nine rebounds and four assists.  Jill Gregory's game-high 23 points were in a losing cause.

OWU 69, Oberlin 54...Oberlin led for most of the first half and well into the second, but OWU's pressure defense eventually proved to be too much for the short-handed Yeowomen.  Tyler Cordell led the victors with 22, while Kayla Gordon added 15 points and 13 boards.  Oberlin got 15 & 12 from Emily Chu Finkel, and nine points and nine assists from Allison Anderson.  Oberlin led by one with 9:18 left, but could only manage six more points as the Bishops pulled away for the victory.

Wittenberg 63, Hiram 57...Witt survives the upset bid in Springfield.  Down by a dozen midway through the first, Hiram battled back to take the lead in the second, setting up a nip-and-tuck battle down the stretch.  Amy Geisman tied the game with a jumper with 1:27 left, but Hiram missed their last four shots while the Tigers were scoring the game's final six points for the victory.  Hiram kept Stephanie Boardman mostly in check (9 points on 3/11 shooting, with 11 boards), but for the second straight game Katherine Heuter stepped up, this time scoring 17 points (twelve of them in the first half) and grabbing nine rebounds.  Brittany Mayle led the visitors with 14.  Wittenberg outrebounded their guests by a 53-25 margin, limiting the Terriers to just four second-chance points, but Hiram compensated by taking care of the ball (7 turnovers) while forcing 19 Wittenberg miscues, leading to a 14-2 Hiram advantage in points off turnovers.

Denison.edu has been down most of the evening, so it may be a while before we get a score and/or report from the DU/Wooster game.  UPDATE: It's back up now, and holy cow...
Wooster 72, Denison 59...Somebody clearly has mixed some kryptonite in DU's Gatorade lately.  Tonight the Big Red failed to apply Rule #1 of Playing Wooster: Don't Let Kym Wenz Beat You.  Wenz went ape on DU tonight, hitting nine of 18, including four threes, and added ten free throws for a total of 32.  Kym also chipped in 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and three steals.  Denison clung to a one-point halftime lead, but Woo's Taylor Keegan buried a three to open the second period, and the Scots were never headed, leading by as many as 20 points before allowing the Big Red to creep a little closer in the final minutes.  Outrebounded by 10, Wooster held Denison to just 29% shooting, and the hosts helped out by missing more than half of their 23 free throws.  The Scots, on the other hand, shot 42% (47% from the arc) and made a respectable two-thirds of their free throws.  Shaina Kaiser had 17 in a losing effort.

Updated -- and transfigured -- standings:
OWU 4-0 conference, 9-4 overall
Wittenberg 4-0, 6-6
Kenyon 2-1, 9-3
Denison 2-2, 10-3
Allegheny 2-2, 5-8
Wooster 1-3, 4-9
Earlham 1-3, 2-10
Oberlin 1-3, 2-11
Hiram 0-3, 1-11

[David Collinge]

Saturday's action:
Allegheny (2-2) at Wittenberg (4-0), 2pm -- Live Everything
Hiram (0-3) at Earlham (1-3), 2pm -- Live stats and audio
Denison (2-2) at OWU (4-0), ~7:30pm -- Live Everything -- Game 2 of a men/women doubleheader between these rivals
Kenyon (2-1) at Wooster (1-3), 7:30pm -- Live stats -- Kenyon seems to believe that there'll be audio and video from Wooster as well, but alas! they're wrong.
Oberlin (1-3) is idle

[David Collinge]

Wittenberg 73, Allegheny 63...Witt continues to separate from the non-OWU pack with a key win in Springfield.  The Tigers used their inside superiority to wear out a path to the free throw line, where their 18-of-23 performance provided more than the margin of victory.  Stephanie Boardman led the way with 23 points and 11 boards, with Carrie Dyer contributing 20 points.  'Gheny, which only saw the free throw line six times, got 14 from Emilie Simone to lead their balanced attack.

Hiram 74, Earlham 68...The Terriers, who trailed by eleven at the half, came roaring out of the locker room and built a lead as large as eight, then held off the homestanding Quakers to record their first conference victory.  Hiram shot 45% and got 23 points from Brittany Mayle, while outrebounding the EC 44-35 and holding the Quakers to 35% shooting.  EC's Starr Gary and Nikki Darrett tossed in 22 points apiece, but the rest of the roster could add just 24 points (11 of those by Whitney Sparkman.)

[David Collinge]

The two late games were both thrillers, made somewhat more thrilling on my end by their being preceded by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake!  Still kind of in a daze...

Kenyon 53, Wooster 50...Kenyon led comfortably in the first half, going to the locker room up 13, and then withstood a furious Wooster comeback in the second.  The Scots actually took the lead with 3:45 left, and it went back and forth until a Morgan Korinek layup with 1:53 left gave the Ladies the lead for good.  The Scots missed their final three chances in those last two minutes, including a three-point shot by Kym Wenz with 0:03 left that would have sent the game to OT.  Wenz ended up as top scorer with 19, while Kenyon's Kat Powers had 11 to lead three Ladies in double figures.  Neither team shot the ball well (KC 32%, COW 37%); the difference in the game was that Kenyon forced 20 Wooster turnovers leading to 22 points (vs. 12 KC turnovers=>14 COW points).

OWU 62, Denison 57...The Bishops keep pace with Wittenberg while the Big Red drop their third straight and fall below .500 in conference play.  Although they never led by more than seven, the Bishops were able to maintain the lead throughout most of the game, including the final 11:38.  Defenses dominated, as neither team reached 40% shooting (DU 34%, OWU 39%) and both were ice-cold from the arc (DU 25%, OWU 16%).  OWU did a better job handling the ball, though, committing just 11 turnovers to Denison's 16, leading to a +13 advantage in points off turnovers.  Dany Finck had a career day with 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting.  DU got at least 7 points from six players, led by Shaina Kaiser's 12 (with 10 rebounds.)

Updated standings:
OWU 5-0 conference, 10-4 overall
Wittenberg 5-0, 7-6
Kenyon 3-1, 10-3
Denison 2-3, 10-4
Allegheny 2-3, 5-9
Oberlin 1-3, 2-11
Hiram 1-3, 2-11
Wooster 1-4, 4-10
Earlham 1-4, 2-11

[David Collinge]

Congratulations to this week's NCAC Player of the Week, Wittenberg's Katherine Hueter.  Hueter's career day at Denison (29 points, 14 rebounds) helped propel Witt to a 3-0 week and a perch at the top of the league standings.  Congrats, Katherine!

[David Collinge]

On non-conference game this evening:

Earlham at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, 7pm -- no live coverage

Revenge time for the EC:  SMWC defeated the Quakers 75-74 on 12/21 in Richmond.

[David Collinge]

SMWC 84, Earlham 56...I don't have any details, and to be frank about it, I don't want any details. 

Updated standings:
OWU 5-0 conference, 10-4 overall
Wittenberg 5-0, 7-6
Kenyon 3-1, 10-3
Denison 2-3, 10-4
Allegheny 2-3, 5-9
Oberlin 1-3, 2-11
Hiram 1-3, 2-11
Wooster 1-4, 4-10
Earlham 1-4, 2-12

[David Collinge]

Moving right along...

Denison (2-3) at Oberlin (1-3), 7pm -- Live Everything
Hiram (1-3) at Wooster (1-4), 7:30pm -- Live Stats
OWU (5-0) at Kenyon (3-1), ~8pm -- Live Everything -- Game 2 of a men/women doubleheader
Allegheny, Earlham, and Wittenberg are idle