Gibbs Ties Career-High as Scots Force Overtime to Beat Bishops 82-80

DELAWARE, Ohio – The College of Wooster women's basketball team rallied from 13-down to force overtime and shocked Ohio Wesleyan with an 82-80 win on Saturday.

Senior Anna Gibbs tied a career-high 27 points as her free throws down the stretch sealed the game for the Scots. She finished 6-for-8 from the line and 8-for-18 from the court.

Four other Scots reached double figures. Senior Kyle Croxton scored 17 points, and Akwia Tilton and Sarah Rapacz each scored 11. Tilton tied a career-high with five steals.

Wooster went 12-for-21 (57 percent) in 3-pointers for the game, which was a mark that proved crucial in the fourth. They also shot 28-for-64 (44 percent) from the court and 14-for-19 (74 percent) from the line.

Early in the fourth quarter, Tilton retook the lead for the Scots on a layup and later assisted Aubri McKoy under the basket for an and-one opportunity. McKoy converted as she finished the game with six points and seven rebounds.

The Scots' next four shots were scores from beyond the arc as Croxton hit two and Gibbs and Sarah Marion hit one a piece, and Wooster took a 67-61 lead with 3:11 remaining.

Ohio Wesleyan scored the next eight points to retake the lead with under a minute remaining. Marion banked in a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 71.

On the other end of the court, Rapacz committed a reach-in foul as Devin Hefner hit two free throws. However, Rapacz redeemed herself by grabbing the offensive rebound on a missed 3-pointer from Gibbs and scoring a layup with eight seconds left on the clock.

With one final opportunity, the Bishops turned the ball over in their last possession in regulation.

The Scots scored the first five points of overtime and kept Ohio Wesleyan off the board until Meghann Dunning sank a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining. Gibbs then went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds to keep the Scots in front.

Wooster was outrebound 42-33, but scored 26 points off of 23 turnovers from Ohio Wesleyan.

The Scots opened the game with a 7-0 run and held Ohio Wesleyan without a field goal for the first 3:48. They led by as many as nine after back-to-back 3-pointers from Gibbs and a bucket in the paint from Jena Copley. By the end of the quarter led 21-15.

Wooster's lone blemish of the game was a 24-9 second quarter. After Croxton opened the quarter's scoring with a 3-pointer, the Bishops answered with a 3-pointer of their own that started a 12-0 run.

Ohio Wesleyan took the lead with 5:20 left in the second quarter and led 39-30 at halftime.

The Bishops' lead grew to 13 midway through the third quarter, but Wooster closed the final part of the third on a 17-5 run to enter the fourth trailing 51-50.

Claire Sterling scored totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead Ohio Wesleyan. Hefner scored 16, and Dunning added 14 points.

Wooster broke a five-game skid and is now 6-15 overall and 2-10 in the NCAC. Ohio Wesleyan drops to 10-11 overall and 5-7 in the conference.

The Scots return to action Wednesday when they travel to Denison University for another NCAC matchup.