Wooster Pulls Away in OT, Tops Oberlin 66-57

Tied 51-51 at the end of regulation, The College of Wooster added to what became an exceptional free throw shooting display, by draining 13-of-14 free throws in overtime, and 20-of-21 overall, on its way to its first North Coast Athletic Conference win of the season, a 66-57 victory over Oberlin College Wednesday evening at Oberlin, Ohio.

The Scots (3-18, 1-10 NCAC) found themselves trailing 49-48 with less than a minute remaining in the second half, when Taylor Keegan came up with a steal on the defensive end, and then buried a 3-pointer to put Wooster ahead 51-49 with 22 seconds on the clock. Oberlin (7-15, 2-9 NCAC) answered back, though, as Kelly Walrich drained a jumper on an Allison Anderson assist that knotted the game 51-51 and sent the contest to an extra stanza.

Jessica Wingen set the tone for the Scots at the start of overtime, as she blocked a shot, corralled the rebound, and drew a foul on the offensive end, where she made both shots and put Wooster in front 53-51. Moments later, Wingen made good on another pair of free throws, only to see Oberlin's Walrich hit another big shot, this time a 3-pointer, drawing the Yeowomen within one (55-54).

On the next Wooster possession, Keshia Butler gathered a pass from Karley Walker and splashed a jumper from the right wing that made it 57-54. At that juncture, Oberlin began fouling on each of the Scots' possessions, where they responded by making 7-of-8 free throws during the game's final minute, which eventually led to their final nine-point win margin (66-57).

It didn't seem like overtime was going to be necessary during Wooster's hot start, which saw it take a 14-3 lead to begin the first half. The Scots led 20-9 at one point, but then Oberlin scored eight in a row, and got as close as 22-20. Wooster managed to grip onto a slight 26-23 lead at halftime.

Then, a 17-6 run by the Yeowomen to start the second half pushed them ahead of Wooster for the first time, and they constructed a 40-32 lead before the Scots mounted their own comeback.

Wingen led Wooster with 19 points, which included a 9-of-10 effort at the charity stripe. The sophomore also added eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Walker, Keegan, and Suvi Puripattarapan were a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line combined, and finished with 12, 12, and nine tallies, respectively.

Leading Oberlin was Syrea Thomas, who matched Wingen with 19 points. Walrich just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.

The Scots will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they visit archrival Wittenberg University (10-12, 5-6 NCAC) Saturday at 2 p.m.