Allegheny Tops Wooster 64-50 in NCAC Opener

WOOSTER, Ohio – Allegheny College pulled away late in the second half of an otherwise closely-contested game, thanks in large part to its efforts at the free throw line, and delivered a 64-50 setback to The College of Wooster in the women's basketball teams' North Coast Athletic Conference opener, played Wednesday evening at Timken Gymnasium.

The Scots (2-2, 0-1 NCAC) had the momentum in the early goings, especially after Rachel Huxhold drained a 3-pointer to put them up 11-6, but the Gators (2-2, 1-0 NCAC) kept with it and took their first lead at 14-13.

Wooster regained the lead at 18-16 when Huxhold connected on her second 3-ball, and then it pushed the margin to 21-17 when Karley Walker sunk her own 3-pointer from well beyond the arc. It was at that juncture that Allegheny scored the next six in a row as part of a 12-2 scoring run heading into the break, which gave the visiting Gators their largest lead of the half (29-23).

Allegheny had built a 42-29 cushion midway through the second half, but Suvi Puripattarapan dished to Jessica Wingen in the paint for an easy lay-up with 10:57 remaining in regulation that sparked a Wooster rally.

Next, Lindy Howard got loose in the paint for an old-fashioned three-point play, and then a Wingen steal led to a Puripattarapan lay-up in transition that capped a 7-0 scoring run and cut the deficit to six (42-36).

After Allegheny sunk a pair of free throws, Howard scored on another lay-up to keep Wooster within six (44-38) with 8:54 to go, but shortly after, the Gators pushed their advantage into double-digits, where they remained for majority of the game's closing moments.

The key for the Gators was their success at the charity stripe, where they went 23-of-30 (76.7 percent), including 17-for-20 in the second half. The Scots were just 5-for-6 from the line.

Walker paced all scorers with 16 points and added four assists, while Wingen was next in line with 12 points and six rebounds. It was also a career-game for both Howard and Huxhold, who scored 10 and eight points, respectively, and combined to go 7-for-11 from the field.

Rachel Vigliotti tallied 15 points off the bench to lead Allegheny, while starter Ann Ryan recorded a double-double with 11 markers and 12 boards.

The Scots will get another chance to pick up a win in conference-play Saturday when they host Hiram College at 2 p.m.