Hancher Surpasses 1,000 Points, Defensive Pressure Helps Propel Wooster Past Geneva

WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior forward Lauren Hancher scored her 1,000th career point, as The College of Wooster women's basketball team pulled away late during its 75-63 win over visiting Geneva College on Wednesday evening at Timken Gymnasium.

Hancher, the eighth 1,000-point scorer in program history, reached the milestone on her layup with 6:40 remaining in the fourth period. The layup came as part of a 12-2 run that helped put the game away.

Geneva (0-2) had cut Wooster's (2-0) lead to six at 54-48 with 9:33 remaining in the contest. A 3-pointer from senior counterpart Sydney Grier helped spark the run, which saw five different Fighting Scots contribute points. Wooster maintained a double-digit lead for the duration, including by as many as 17 (77-58) on sophomore Aki Shurelds' layup after a steal.

Wooster's athletic, high-pressure defense played a huge role in the game, as the Scots recorded 21 steals - the first 20-steal game by them since recording 20 at Lake Erie College on Jan. 19, 2005. For the game, Geneva turned the ball over 31 times, which Wooster turned into 28 points.

Hancher helped jump start the Scots in the first period, with the basketball and soccer dual-sport standout scoring six-straight points as part of a 10-0 run to put the home team on top 20-10 with 1:48 left. Junior Sydney Failing capped the run with four points of her own.

First-year Shar Hankerson connected on back-to-back field goals during the second period to push Wooster's lead to double figures again at 30-19 with 4:20 remaining, and the Scots carried a 12-point lead (37-25) into halftime after junior Rachel Collins' jumper with :19 on the clock.

Wooster twice pushed its lead to 17 in the third period, first on a layup from first-year Anna Gibbs and later on a pair of free throws from Hancher to make the score 48-31. Geneva's own basketball and soccer dual-sport player Heidi Mann helped lead the Golden Tornadoes back, cutting her squad's deficit down to eight at 52-44 by the end of the stanza.

Hancher, who missed Saturday's opener due to an academic obligation, finished with a team-best 18 points on the night. Other statistical leaders included Gibbs with 11 points, Failing with 10 rebounds, and Shurelds with a career-best six steals.

The Scots remain at home for the 20th annual Nan Nichols Classic this weekend, with match-ups against Alma College (1-0) at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Adrian College (0-1) at 3 p.m. Sunday.