Denison Uses Second-Half Runs for 81-66 Victory Over Fighting Scots

WOOSTER, Ohio - Invading Denison University used a sharp shooting performance from three-point range, connecting on 8-of-18 attempts from beyond the arc (.444), and rattled off runs of 9-2 and 8-2 midway through the second half to propel themselves over The College of Wooster in North Coast Athletic Conference action Friday evening by an 81-66 score inside Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster opened the second half with a jumper by Deanna Pickett during Wooster's initial possession with an assist from Kym Wenz, knotting the score at 33-33. The two teams traded points over the ensuing minutes, eventually drawing even at 49-49 with 12:16 left in the contest. Denison rattled off its two runs to take a 13-point lead at 66-53 with 5:54 remaining in play, including nine points from Shaina Kaiser during the stretch for the Big Red.

The Scots chipped away at the lead using a mini 5-0 run over a 1:51 span on a three-pointer by Wenz and a pair of charity tosses by Kaitlin Krister, cutting the Denison advantage to eight (66-58). Wooster would get no closer, as the Big Red scored five-straight points and cruised to the conference victory.

Both squads traded buckets throughout the first half that featured six ties and 12 lead changes.  Denison (4-6, 2-0 NCAC) built a five-point lead (17-12) with 9:45 remaining in the period on a trey by Kaiser. Wooster (3-6, 1-1 NCAC) responded, taking a one-point lead on back-to-back three-point makes by Meredith Wilson, before Denison would go on to score the next five points, building a 22-18 lead with 5:15 left.

Wooster raced back to a one-point lead (25-24) via a 7-2 spurt with 3:25 remaining, before the two squads traded buckets over the final minutes of the opening stanza before Denison led at the intermission by a 33-31 count.

For the game, Denison made 50.8 percent of its shots on 30-of-59 shooting from the field, while the Scots were held to 43.8 percent shooting, making good on 21-of-48 of their attempts from the floor while connecting on 6-of-16 shots from three-point range (.375). Denison was a perfect 13-of-13 at the charity stripe, while Wooster managed to connect on 18-of-28 of its chances for a 64.3 percent mark. The Big Red also ended the game with a slight 34-28 rebounding edge.

The Scots were paced by three players scoring in double figures, with Krister leading the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks for her fourth double-double this winter and 10th of her career. Wenz was right behind with 21 points, 17 of which came in the second half including four threes, to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Wilson contributed ten points and a team-high five assists, while Pickett scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and added two assists.

Denison landed two players in double figures led by Kaiser's game-high 32 points, including shooting 10-of-12 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 at the line. She also racked up seven steals, five rebounds, and four assists. Carolyn Simpson finished with 15 markers and seven rebounds for the visitors, while Ellen O'Brien added seven tallies and five helpers.

The Scots will seek redemption on Saturday evening when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan University (6-4, 2-1 NCAC) for a 7:30 p.m. NCAC showdown.