Wooster Never Trails in Season-Opening Win Over Franciscan

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster women's basketball team never trailed in its season opener Saturday afternoon, but it was an 11-0 scoring run midway through the second half that put the game out of reach, as the Scots upended Franciscan University of Steubenville 67-52 during the Nan Nichols Classic at Timken Gymnasium.

The Lady Barons (0-2) were within striking distance at 40-32 with 14:36 remaining in regulation, until Karley Walker connected on one of her game-high four 3-pointers, which kick started an offensive surge for Wooster (1-0).

Maura Hall drew three fouls and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line during the scoring run, and Suvi Puripattarapan added a 3-pointer in between, which gave the Scots the cushion (51-32) it used to cruise to victory.

Wooster actually put together a larger scoring run in the first half, when it scored 12 in a row to turn a 13-13 tie into a 25-13 advantage. The stretch included six points from Jessica Wingen, who tied a personal best with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting, and also recorded a career-high 16 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks, in a dominant outing.

Walker also had a strong performance, as she scored a career-high 18 points to go along with four assists, three blocks, and a steal.

The Scots did not attempt a single free throw in the first half, but went 13-of-14 (.929) in the second half, which included seven makes from Hall, who finished with 11 points.

Also noteworthy, Wooster received scoring contributions from five different freshmen, with Katelyn Dymek's four points leading the pack. Dymek also pulled down five rebounds, as did fellow first-year starter Rachel Huxhold.

Franciscan was led by Huck Lacey, who tallied team highs in points (18) and rebounds (7).

Earlier in the afternoon, State University of New York at Geneseo opened up the Nan Nichols Classic with a decisive 75-43 victory over Westminster (Pa.) College, thanks in large part to a Shannon McGinnis' 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting. SUNY Geneseo will play Franciscan tomorrow at 1 p.m., while the Scots will host Westminster at 3 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.