John Carroll Gets Past Wooster 60-53 in Season Opener

WOOSTER, Ohio – Karley Walker scored 14 points, Jessica Wingen recorded a double-double, and The College of Wooster outrebounded John Carroll University by a large margin, but the Blue Streaks still managed to spoil the Fighting Scots' home opener 60-53 Tuesday evening in a women's basketball matchup at Timken Gymnasium.

Despite pulling within a basket on a number of occasions, the Scots (0-1) never could take a lead over the Blue Streaks (1-0) in the first half. That changed after the break, as Wooster erased an eight-point deficit (32-24) with a 12-2 scoring run, that included baskets from Samantha Sulzer, Suvi Puripattarapan, and a tough left handed bank shot by Wingen that gave Wooster its first lead at 36-34.

John Carroll's Melissa Spahar responded with two of her game-high 25 points to knot the score (36-36), but Puripattarapan found Danielle Spinden wide open underneath the basket to put Wooster back on top 38-36 with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.

At that juncture, the Blue Streaks used a sudden 16-3 scoring run that spanned just 3:46 to build a commanding 52-41 cushion. The Scots did make it interesting down the stretch, as they scored seven unanswered points and pulled within 56-51 with under a minute to go, however, John Carroll hung on to notch the 60-53 victory.

The Scots won several statistical battles on the stat sheet, including a decisive 55-36 advantage in rebounds. Wooster also led 28-18 in points in the paint and saw its bench outscore John Carroll's by an 18-3 margin.

Walker paced Wooster with 14 points, while Wingen added 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Sarah Abboud also set a new career-high with eight rebounds, while Sulzer tied her previous best effort with 10.

For John Carroll, Spahar racked up 25 points (11-for-19) and 14 rebounds, while Emilee Ritchie added 18 points and four steals.

Next up, Wooster hosts its annual Nan Nichols Classic this weekend on Nov. 19-20.