Denison Tops Wooster 75-40 in NCAC Tourney

The College of Wooster women's basketball team hung with nationally-ranked and undefeated Denison University as long as it could Tuesday evening, which included tying the game at 20-20 late in the first half, but the Big Red pulled away in a hurry after halftime and topped the Fighting Scots 75-40 in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament at Granville, Ohio.

The Scots (3-22) matched the Big Red (26-0) shot for shot throughout the majority of the first half, and took an early 8-5 lead on a 3-pointer by Karley Walker. Trailing 12-10 moments later, Samantha Sulzer went on her own mini-run, scoring six of Wooster's next eight points, including a layup that gave the Scots an 18-17 advantage. The game got knotted up at 20-20, and Karley Walker kept Wooster within one (23-22) with a close range jumper, but Denison hit a late 3-ball and led 28-22 at the break.

This game quickly turned into a tale of two halves, as Wooster went from being in striking distance, to trailing 36-22 after Denison went on an 8-0 run to kick off the second stanza. The Scots couldn't get closer than 12 points down during the next 10 minutes of action, and with 8:49 remaining in regulation, Denison's Haley Dahlgard splashed a 3-pointer that made it 55-35, and sparked the eventual rout.

Wooster shot just 29.6 percent (16-for-54) from the field, and just 12.5 percent (1-for-8) from behind the arc. The Big Red were efficient, turning the ball over just eight times compared to Wooster's 18, while shooting over 40 percent (28-for-69).

Pacing the Scots on the stat sheet were Walker and Kristen Schwartz, who totaled matching 10's in the scoring column. Sulzer was right behind them with nine points and six rebounds, and Taylor Keegan pulled down a team-high seven boards.

For Denison, Dahlgard led the way with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, while Serafina Nuzzo added 12 points and six assists.