First Half Spurt Keys Scots’ 66-50 Victory at Earlham

The College of Wooster women's basketball team rebounded from a four-point deficit just under eight minutes into the contest, taking command thanks to an 11-0 run and never looked back en route to a 66-50 victory over home-standing Earlham College during North Coast Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon in Richmond, Ind.

The Scots raced out to a 9-2 lead to begin the contest, but Earlham (1-16, 0-9 NCAC) scored 14 of the next 17 points to take a four-point lead (16-12), its largest of the game, with 12:05 left in the period.

Wooster responded, rattling off its 11-0 spurt, including five points from Kym Wenz, a trio of those coming via an old-fashioned three-point play, and possessed a 23-16 advantage with 6:53 on the clock. The Quakers closed the gap to five (23-18) on the next possession with a jumper by Tasha Merrill, but the Scots closed the period with an 8-5 run and took a 31-23 lead into the half.

The Scots came out strong in the second half, beginning the period with an 8-3 run, putting Wooster up by 13 (39-26) with 15:07 remaining in the game.

Merrill scored the ensuing six points for Earlham, trimming the Scots' lead to seven at 39-32 with 14:11 on the clock. However, Wooster answered back with a 9-0 run of its own over the next 1:57, and extended its advantage to 16 (48-32) with 12:14 left in the game and were never again threatened by the Quakers.

For the game, Wooster (6-10, 4-3 NCAC) shot 42.9 percent from the field (24-of-56), and connected on 5-of-16 attempts from three-point range (31.3 percent). The Scots' defense held the Earlham offense in check, as the hosts finished the game 15-of-57 from the floor (26.3 percent), and was limited to 7-of-29 from beyond the arc (24.1 percent). The Scots won the rebounding battle, snagging 47 boards while the Quakers grabbed 36.

The Scots landed four players in double figures, with Wenz leading the way with 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season. She tacked on three assists and two steals, while Kaitlin Krister finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Meredith Wilson also added 10 points and six boards, and Deanna Pickett wound up with a career-high 10 points in the victory.  

Earlham placed two in double figures, with Merrill leading the way knocking in 16 points. Princess Darnell tallied 10 points and five rebounds, while Tracy Hill added six markers and a game-best 11 boards in the losing effort.

The Scots will conclude their three-game road trip when they travel to Meadville, Pa. and take on Allegheny College (8-9, 4-5 NCAC) Wednesday evening for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.