Wooster Pulls Away Behind Wenz to Drop Ursuline 72-66

WOOSTER, Ohio – In a game that had 19 lead changes, The College of Wooster managed to get ahead when it counted, as Kym Wenz went on her own 7-0 run down the stretch to cap off a career-high 37-point outing, and the Fighting Scots took down Ursuline College 72-66 at Timken Gymnasium.

With 2:53 remaining in the game, Ursuline's Josie Smith spilt a pair of free throws that put the Arrows (4-9) ahead 66-65. From that moment on it was all Wenz. The senior guard drained her sixth 3-pointer of the game to give Wooster a 68-66 lead, and then immediately stole the ball and drove the length of the court to convert a lay up with 1:19 on the clock. Kaitlin Krister blocked an Ursuline shot in the game's final seconds, and Wenz added two more points at the charity stripe to complete the 7-0 run and seal the Wooster win.

Wenz's 37 points were the most of her career, topping the 35 points she put up against John Carroll University in this season's home opener, and were just one point shy of the school's all-time single-game scoring record. Her six three-pointers tied a career-high, and her sevens steals were a new personal best. She finished the game 12-of-22 from the field, which included 6-of-10 shooting from behind the arc, with seven rebounds, and only two turnovers.

The Arrows set the tone in this game when Ashlie Hargrove and Brittany Nair both hit 3-pointers in the first two minutes of action to give Ursuline an 8-2 lead. Wenz then hit her first 3-ball to bring Wooster within three, but the Scots continued to trail until Wenz hit another three with 13:16 remaining in the first half that gave Wooster a 15-13 advantage. The team's then combined for eight lead changes to close out the first half, but Taylor Keegan made her own 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining, and the Scots went into the break with a 35-32 lead.

Ursuline came out shooting in the second half, as Brittany Nair hit a deep three that gave them an eight-point lead (59-51), but an 11-2 Wooster run put the Scots back in front 62-61 with just over six minutes remaining in the game. The contest remained close until Wenz went on her game-winning terror over the final minutes of action that led to Wooster's second win of the season.

Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field in the game, but it was the Scots 11-of-23 effort from behind the arc and 11-of-13 clip at the foul line that gave them the edge. Wooster also tied a season-high with 19 assists, led by Keshia Butler who passed out five in a solid effort off the bench. Kaitlin Krister scored six of her 10 points in the second half, and added six rebounds in 33 minutes.

Ursuline's Nair paced the Arrows with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while Callie Brutcher added 10 points and eight boards. Josie Smith grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and pitched in nine points in the setback.

Wooster will look to make it two in a row this Wednesday when they visit Defiance College for a 6 p.m. tip-off.