Keegan’s 19 Fuels Wooster’s 78-68 Win Over Earlham

Taylor Keegan provided the spark The College of Wooster needed Monday evening, as the senior guard scored a game-high 19 points, and was 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc, leading the Fighting Scots to a much needed 78-68 victory over Earlham College at Richmond, Ind.

The Scots (2-10) broke out in a big way during a seven-minute stretch in the first half, when they turned a 19-14 deficit into a 39-24 lead thanks to a bombardment of 3-pointers. Ashley Lindemann delivered a rare 3-ball to start the assault, and then Keegan, Suvi Puripattarapan, and Mallory Band chipped in 3-pointers to add to Wooster's 25-5 scoring run.

In all, Wooster drained nine buckets from behind the arc before the break, and finished the game 10-for-21 from long distance, which was easily a season-best outing.

Earlham's (0-11) Nikki Darrett led a Quaker rally heading into halftime, as she scored seven of the team's last 10 points to help them pull within seven (46-39). That was as close as Earlham got to catching Wooster, as Karley Walker brought Wooster's lead back above double-digits (52-41) just minutes into the second stanza. From that juncture, the Scots continued to pull away, and led by as much as 21 (66-45) before eventually allowing Earlham to creep back to no avail.

It was Keegan who led Wooster's charge, as she shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, and added three steals and two assists. Kristen Schwartz piled up her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Walker added 14 tallies and five boards.

As a team, Wooster shot a season-high 51 percent (26-for-51), and went 16-for-21 from the charity stripe.

The Quakers were led by Darrett's 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Next up, Wooster hosts Oberlin College (5-7) this Saturday at 2 p.m.