WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Allegheny tops Wittenberg, 81-78 in Meadville, in each team's conference opener.  Starting the game with a couple of technical free throws (), the Tigers led for nearly all of the game's first 34 minutes.  The Gators crawled back into it and took the lead with just under six minutes left, expanding that lead to eight with a 19-5 run that peaked with 2:35 remaining.  Wittenberg hung tough, but the hosts were able to make just enough free throws (4 of 9 down the stretch) to hold onto the lead into the clubhouse.  Jill Gregory led the victors with a 22 & 10 double-double, complemented by 18 points apiece from Heidi Goeller and Erica Restich.  Katherine Hueter had a double-double (14 & 10) for the Tigers, who also got 19 from Kim Replogle.  

Elsewhere,
CMU 65, Oberlin 58
Denison 72, CWRU 69
Hiram 72, Marygrove 54
B-WC 73, Kenyon 63
UNE 81, OWU 62

NCAC non-conference record 23-19.

Conference standings:
Allegheny 1-0
Hiram 1-0
Denison 0-0
Kenyon 0-0
Oberlin 0-0
Ohio Wesleyan 0-0
Wittenberg 0-1
Wooster 0-1

[David Collinge]

One non-conference game on tap for tonight:

Case Western Reserve at Oberlin, 7pm -- audio/video and live stats

I'll report on this one tomorrow afternoon (Eastern time) if nobody beats me to it.

[David Collinge]

Night owl update:

I believe I'm ready to anoint Allison Anderson as the best player in the NCAC.  Tonight (er, last night) she poured in 38 points, including hitting 13 of 14 free throws, and added five assists and four steals in 45 minutes of non-stop action, leading the Yeowomen to a 79-78 OT victory over CWRU.  Oberlin, which trailed for just sixteen seconds of regulation, led by 15 at the break and by 20 with 16:37 left when Case began to whittle away at the lead.  Oberlin still enjoyed a 13 point advantage with 5:39 left, but the Spartans ended regulation on an 18-5 run, forcing the overtime on a layup by Erin Hollinger (who led Case with 20) with 0:22 left.  Case scored two of the first three buckets in OT, but two of Anderson's free throws at 2:41 gave the Yeowomen a lead they'd not relinquish.  First-year Ashley Young added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Yeo, who become the third NCAC squad to defeat the Spartans this week.  Next up for Case will be Wooster, but they have nearly two weeks to regroup before that matchup.

NCAC composite record keeps improving:  24-19.  You go girls!

[David Collinge]

Tonight's scheduled matchup of Allegheny and Buffalo State in Buffalo has been postponed due to weather.  No makeup date has yet been announced.

[David Collinge]

Wednesday games:

One conference game:
Oberlin at Kenyon, 6pm -- video, audio, live stats

Four non-cons:
Denison at Thiel, 6:30pm -- no coverage
OWU at Capital, 7pm -- whatever coverage there may be can be accessed here
Wooster at Ursuline, 7pm -- no coverage
Grove City at Hiram, 7:30pm -- live stats

[David Collinge]

Kenyon 68, Oberlin 47 -- Kenyon took advantage of Oberlin's lack of depth and ice-cold shooting to post the easy victory in Gambier tonight.  Post players Morgan Korinek and Kayla Ernst each contributed 16 to the winning effort.  OC's Allison Anderson led all scorers with 17, but she and Kelly Warlich (13) provided almost all of the Yeowomen's offense, as six Oberlin players provided all but 2 of the minutes played.

Elsewhere,
Denison 79, Thiel 44
Capital 74, OWU 61
Grove City 74, Hiram 63...closer than it looks, GCC scored the game's last 7 points in the final 0:38
Ursuline 73, Wooster 61

Conference standings:
Allegheny 1-0
Hiram 1-0
Kenyon 1-0
Denison 0-0
Ohio Wesleyan 0-0
Oberlin 0-1
Wittenberg 0-1
Wooster 0-1

Non-con takes a beating and slips to 25-22.

[David Collinge]

Having failed on Tuesday, Allegheny tries to get a game in with another Upstate team tomorrow, facing Fredonia St. at 6pm -- live stats.  Drive safely!

[David Collinge]

Allegheny tops Fredonia comfortably, 86-65, behind Jill Gregory's 17 points, the last two of which pushed her to and above the 1,000 point mark for her career.  Congratulations, Jill!

NCAC composite: 26-22.

[David Collinge]

The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame has announced that it will induct, posthumously, longtime Wittenberg head coach Pam Evans Smith at their dinner in May.  Although the Hall is just six years old, it's a little difficult to imagine how it took this long to get around to this obvious honor, but better late than never.  Congratulations to Coach Smith and to all of her players and assistants in her storied career!  Story at wittenberg.edu.

[David Collinge]

Two more non-cons tonight:

Oberlin at Ursuline, 7pm -- Video
Wittenberg at Trine, 7:30pm -- Audio

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

I have good news, and I have bad news:
The good news:  Wittenberg 69, Trine 38
The bad news: Usruline 83, Oberlin 68

Now 27-23.  Still above .500!

[David Collinge]

Two conference games on tap for Saturday, both of them openers of M/W doubleheaders:

Hiram at Denison, 1pm -- audio and live stats -- bring an item of non-perishable food for the Licking County Food Pantry and gain free admission to the doubleheader!
Wooster at OWU, 1pm -- audio/video and live stats

[David Collinge]

Ohio Wesleyan 78, Wooster 68 -- "The Franchise" struts its stuff, hearkening back to last season.  Kayla Gordon records a double-double (11 & 12), Tyler Cordell pours in 24 to go along with 8 assists and 4 steals, and Pam goes all Quigney on the Scots with 32 points on 14/23 shooting, including 12/16 from inside the arc.  Wooster's own three-pronged attack nearly kept pace, getting 22 apiece from Kristen Schwartz and Jessica Wingen to go along with 16 from Karley Walker, but the Presbyterians could only muster 18 other points (vs. just 21 from OWU).  Both team shot lights-out, with OWU at 48% and Wooster at 51%, but OWU got off 10 additional shots thanks to 22 Wooster turnovers.  

Denison 102, Hiram 54 -- Denison got significant minutes from everyone but the popcorn vendor in this one, and still added two touchdowns to their lead after the half.  The first team torched the nets at a 59% clip in establishing a 34-point halftime lead, only to be outdone by their back-benchers, who hit a sizzling 62.5% in the second half.  Both halves were well on the right side of 50% from the arc as well, finishing at 61% .  Five DU players ended up in double figures, with Shaina Kaiser leading the way with 20.  DU punished the Pups on the glass as well, recording a +15 margin, as well as with their quickness, forcing 23 turnovers that led to 22 points.  Denison, as usual, had an admirable performance in the A/TO category, recording 27 assists (on 43 hoops)--with 8 players getting at least one assist--to just 11 turnovers.  Tiffany Shields led Hiram with 21, but DU shut down Jess Cowan (8 pts.) and no other Terrier could break the 4-point mark.  

Conference standings:
Allegheny 1-0
Denison 1-0
Kenyon 1-0
Ohio Wesleyan 1-0
Hiram 1-1
Oberlin 0-1
Wittenberg 0-1
Wooster 0-2

[David Collinge]

Denison rates a mention on the front page of D3hoops.com, as an article about the Big Red's fast start makes the "What We're Reading" list.   Now let's see if we can rate a mention on this page of the site. 

[David Collinge]

There were two NCAC/PrAC matchups on the schedule for tonight, but one has already been postponed:

Denison at Grove City, 7pm -- live stats
Waynesburg at Hiram, postponed

Speaking of postponements, no word has yet reached this office of a rescheduling of the Buffalo St./Allegheny game, postponed a week ago.

[David Collinge]

Denison knocks off Grove City, 63-53, to go to 10-0 on the season.  Shaina Kaiser scored 21, moving her into 5th place on DU's all-time scoring list.  Serafina Nuzzo was just two assists from a triple-double, with 10 points, 11 boards, and eight assists. 

Non-con record: 28-23.  I'm eating this up with a spoon!