Late-Game Push Lifts Oberlin Over Scots

A lopsided fourth period marked by a 24-5 scoring edge led Oberlin College to a 77-55 victory over The College of Wooster on Wednesday evening at Philips Gymnasium in Oberlin, Ohio.

Despite being a back-and-forth affair for a majority of the game, Oberlin (14-6, 10-2 North Coast Athletic Conference) capitalized on 8-for-13 shooting and a 16-3 rebounding edge in the fourth period to seal win.

Wooster (4-16, 2-9 NCAC) led 34-31 at the half after trailing 18-16 at the end of the first period. Notably, half of the Fighting Scots' first-half field goals were three-pointers, led by 2-for-3 shooting from both junior Anna Gibbs and sophomore Kylie Orr, who combined for 21 points on the night.

The Yeowomen opened the game on an 8-0 run but eventually witnessed their lead disappear by the start the second period after sophomore Cat Fiorito sank two free throws off a technical foul to start the second stanza.

First-year Sarah Rapacz delivered Wooster its first lead of the game (22-20) moments later, as both teams went punch-for-punch for the period's remainder to close the half at 34-31 in favor of Wooster.

In the third, the Scots fell victim to a 17-2 Oberlin run and trailed 48-36 at the 5:21 mark. Down but not out, Wooster conjured up a run of its own, scoring 12 of the game's next 14 points to inch back within two (50-48) before ending the period down 53-50.

From there, a complete effort from the Yeowomen – on both the defensive and offensive ends – stretched their lead to double-digits. In the fourth, Oberlin shot nearly 62 percent from the floor and 7-of-10 at the foul line while holding Wooster to 14 percent shooting and 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Junior Kyle Croxton led all Scots with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-4 from deep. First-year Maria Janasko pulled down a team-high six boards while Oberlin's Abby Andrews (22) and Olivia Canning (21) combined for 43 points on the night.

Of note, Rapacz recorded one block to extend her streak of games with at least one block to seven games. The first-year ranks third in the conference (1.3) and has tallied at least one block in 13 of the last 15 games.

Up next, Wooster travels to Denison University (9-12, 4-8 NCAC) on Saturday, Feb. 3 for a 1 p.m. tipoff.