Shooting Slump Allows Case to Power Past Wooster 78-46

The College of Wooster women's basketball team hung with Case Western Reserve University for about six minutes Saturday, but the Spartans raced ahead to a 20-point lead at the break, and then created even more separation down the stretch, to overwhelm the Fighting Scots 78-46 at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Scots (1-3) gained momentum in the opening minutes, as Kym Wenz and Colleen Goodwille drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give Wooster a 6-0 lead. Two possessions later, Wenz made a steal and dished the ball to Samantha Suzler who buried a shot and put the Scots ahead 8-2. Case Western Reserve answered back with consecutive baskets, but Wenz connected on another 3-ball, and Keshia Butler knocked down a jumper to help Wooster maintain a one-point lead (13-12) with 14:20 remaining in the first half.

From that moment on, the Scots shot a dismal 3-for-17 from the field, and the Spartans went on an incredible 28-8 run leading into the break.

Case Western Reserve outscored Wooster 38-26 in the second half to win by a 32-point margin, in a game in which 14 Spartans contributed a basket, and nine logged at least 10 minutes on the court. The Scots shot just 16-of-48 (33.3 percent) in the game, and turned the ball over 29 times.

Wooster was paced by Wenz who scored a team-high 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, with three of her baskets coming from behind the arc, and she also tallied six rebounds and three steals. Samantha Justice recorded nine points and three steals, and Kaitlin Krister led the Scots with seven rebounds, but added just two points in the setback.

Caitlin Henry led the Spartans with a game-high 14 points, and Ashleigh Tondo added 12 points, while the Case Western Reserve bench scored 33 points compared to Wooster's 12.

The Scots will get North Coast Athletic Conference action underway on Wednesday when they travel to Allegheny College (2-2) for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.