Comeback Stalls as Scots Close Nan Nichols Classic

The College of Wooster women's basketball team closed out the Nan Nichols Classic on Saturday with a 64-61 loss to Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Wooster battled back from a 13-point deficit with a chance to tie in the closing seconds but a trio of 3-pointers failed to drop for the Scots.

Wooster led just once after scoring quickly following the opening tip. The game was tied seven times, including three times in the final three minutes by the Scots.

Sophomore Ella Biondi tied it twice at 57-57 and 59-59 before first-year Ace Sturdivant tied it at 61 with 1:15 remaining.

Franciscan made it a 3-point game after completing an and-1 opportunity with 26 seconds left. Wooster then had three decent looks from range from three different Scots but none of the attempts could fall.

Wooster struggled in the opening stanza, trailing 22-9 after one and then 34-19 at halftime. In the second half, they played much better. They won both quarters including a 22-13 fourth.

Wooster inched back into the game with its 3-point shot, going 8-of-22 (36 percent) in the game and 6-of-16 in the second half.

Senior Alyssa Chritz stepped up with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She also added seevn rebounds and two steals.

Her performance across the weekend earned her a spot on the Nan Nichols Classic All-Tournament Team.

After struggling in her debut, Sturdivant turned the page with an 18-point performance and added nine rebounds and five assists. The first-year also added two steals and shot 7-of-13 from the floor.

Biondi finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while first-year Alexis Lovejoy gave Wooster a spark with a pair of fourth quarter 3-pointers for her first points as a Scot.

Franciscan (2-1) was led by a 19-point, seven-rebound performance from Madison Doan. Doan followed up on a 22-point, 12 rebound performance to earn MVP honors for the tournament.

Wooster (0-2) remains home this week when they host Heidelberg University on Wednesday.

Nan Nichols Classic All-Tournament Team

MVP - Madison Doan (Franciscan)

Mikaya Doan (Franciscan)

Hannah Farley (Houghton)

Emma Cole (Houghton)

Alyssa Chritz (Wooster)

Julia Bucci (Illinois Tech)