Wooster Falls Against Rival Wittenberg

WOOSTER, Ohio – Lauren Hancher scored a team-high 18 points and Sydney Failing added 10, but it wasn't enough to propel The College of Wooster past its archrival, as Wittenberg University used a sizeable advantage in rebounding and second-chance points to drop the Fighting Scots, 78-51, on Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

Two of the top scorers in the North Coast Athletic Conference were on the court today, as Wittenberg's Darbie Zirkle (16.6 ppg) and Wooster's Hancher (16.0 ppg), who rank first and third in the league in scoring average, respectively, put on quite a show. Zirkle scored 21, with 17 coming in the first half, while Hancher poured in 18, including 12 first-half tallies.

Aside from those two standouts, it was Wittenberg (11-4, 3-2 NCAC) that got more help from its supporting cast, especially in the rebounding department, where it bested the Scots by a 51-34 margin, with a 17-6 advantage on offensive boards. That led to 21 second-chance points for the Tigers, which played a major factor in the outcome of the game.

Wooster (1-13, 0-5 NCAC) created some solid scoring opportunities throughout the contest and turned the ball over just 12 times – its second-lowest total this season – but its shots fell at just a 33.3 percent clip (20-for-60), compared to 43.9 percent (29-for-66) for the visitors.

The Scots were more competitive in the second half, as they trailed Wittenberg by only nine (37-28) on the scoreboard. Failing scored eight of her 10 points after the break, and Danielle Besancon had an exciting spurt, which included a steal and fast-break lay-up, and then a 3-pointer shortly after.

Also on the stat sheet, Rachel Collins passed out a game-high five assists and a team-high six rebounds, while Hannah Kiser chipped in on the glass with four boards.

Wooster will visit Oberlin (7-7, 3-2 NCAC) next Wednesday at 6 p.m.