Case Overcomes Second-Half Deficit To Hand Scots 89-73 Setback

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster women's basketball team surged out to an 13-point lead at 55-42 with 15:35 left in regulation, only to watch visiting Case Western Reserve University come storming back to take control with a hot-shooting second half and cruise to the 89-73 victory.

A field goal, three-point field goal, and a duo of free throws by Meredith Wilson along with a jumper by Deanna Pickett gave Wooster a five-point lead at 9-4 with 15:57 left in the period, before the visiting Spartans (5-1) would go on a 7-2 run, to knot the game at 11-11 with 13:53 left in the frame. Wooster outscored the Spartans by a 34-24 margin the remainder of the period on 59.3 percent shooting (16-of-27) and took a comfortable 45-35 lead into the break.

Out of the break, Wooster held the Spartans at bay, maintaining its double-digit lead in the opening minutes. However, Case gained control following Wooster holding its largest advantage of the game at 13 (55-42) with 15:35 left on a pair of charity tosses by Kym Wenz. The Spartans started their comeback rattlling off a 21-5 run that covered 7:10 of action and took a three-point lead with 8:25. A lay-up by Pickett on the ensuing possession brought Wooster back to within one, but the Spartans continued to put points on the board, extending their lead to as much as 16 with :47 remaining and posted the non-conference victory.

Leading Wooster (2-3) in the scoring column was Wenz with 20 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kaitlin Krister wound up with 19 markers on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor to go with five boards and a game-best three blocked shots. Wilson also wound up in double figures for the Scots, nailing a season-best 13 points, including three makes from beyond the arc, while Pickett ended her game with a career-high eight points going 4-of-6 from the field.

The Spartans featured a balanced offensive attack that landed four players in double figures led by Erin Hollinger's game-high 21 points. Ashleigh Tondo, Beth Andrasik, and Caitlin Henry finished with 18, 17, and 13 tallies, respectively. Additionally, Henry grabbed seven rebounds, handed out four assists and collected three steals.

For the game, the Scots shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field, while Case made 53.4 percent of its shots from the floor on 31-of-58 shooting. The Spartans also held a slim 30-29 advantage on the boards.

Wooster will have over a week off from competition before it hits the road and makes a trip to Massachusetts to play Pine Manor College (0-5) on Sunday, Dec. 14 for a 2:00 p.m. match-up and Tuesday, Dec. 16 with Worcester State College (2-5) at noon.