Lauren Hancher

WOOSTER, Ohio – Wittenberg University jumped out to an early 14-2 lead and The College of Wooster was never able to recover, as the Tigers dropped the Fighting Scots 84-51 on Saturday in a battle between North Coast Athletic Conference rivals at Timken Gymnasium.

The outcome was largely determined by 3-pointers, as the Tigers (13-8, 8-6 NCAC) knocked down 12 shots from behind the arc, which included eight in the first half, while the Scots (7-15, 2-12 NCAC) were just 1-for-15 on their attempts from downtown.

Wooster got off to a promising start, as Suvi Puripattarapan stole the ball on Wittenberg's first possession and took it coast-to-coast for an easy lay-in, and then Puripattarapan came up with another steal seconds later, although the Scots didn't capitalize with a basket that time.

Once Wittenberg settled in, it went on to score 14 straight points, putting Wooster in an early 14-2 hole. The Scots did get back on track, as they put together a 9-6 scoring run that was capped by a Rachel Huxhold 3-pointer to pull back within seven at 22-15.

That was as close as Wooster got, though, as Wittenberg extended its lead to 22 at the halftime break (41-19) and coasted to victory in the second half.

The Scots did come away with a few positives in defeat, as they went 12-for-14 (.857) from the free throw line and outrebounded the Tigers 37-32. Perhaps Wittenberg's best statistic was that it notched an assist on 25 of its 30 field goals.

Lauren Hancher led all scorers with 14 points, while Huxhold reached double figures for the third time in her last seven games with 11 tallies. Sydney Failing added nine points in just 11 minutes off the bench, and Karley Walker chipped in eight with four rebounds.

The Tigers put four in double figures, with Riley McDonald and Amber Rice sharing the team-lead with 12 apiece.

Next on tap is a home date with Allegheny College (13-10, 7-7 NCAC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.