Scots Come Alive in Second Half to Upend Oberlin 63-60

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster women's basketball team trailed by as much as 13 points, and went into the break down by nine, but the offense was sharp in the second half, and the Fighting Scots came back to beat Oberlin College 63-60 on Wednesday evening in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Timken Gymnasium.

The Scots (6-8, 1-5 NCAC) and Yeowomen (8-6, 3-2 NCAC) have now split their season series four years in a row, but this was easily the closest game during that span, as the last seven meetings had all been decided by eight points or more.

Down 37-28 at the onset of the second half, Wooster heated up with a 7-0 scoring run, as Lauren Hancher knocked down a jumper and scored on a lay-up, and Sydney Grier sunk a 3-pointer, to make it a two-point game (37-35).

Oberlin's Christina Marquette scored two of her game-high 25 points to break up the run, but Hancher responded with two more buckets in the paint, giving her eight points in less than three minutes, and knotting the score at 39-39.

Over the next nine minutes, Wooster did everything but take the lead, as it kept the game close and tied the game on four occasions, until a Karley Walker 3-pointer with 7:41 to go put the Scots in front (52-51) for the first time since early in the first half.

Marquette drew the Yeowomen even again at 52-52 by splitting a pair of free throws, but Walker drained another 3-pointer to give Wooster its biggest lead of the game, 55-52, with 6:43 on the clock.

Moments later, Marquette pulled Oberlin within one, but Walker made a jump shot to push Wooster's advantage back to three (57-54), and then, Grier made a game-changing 3-pointer that made it a six-point game (60-54) with about three minutes remaining in regulation.

The Yeowomen nearly spoiled Wooster's comeback, as Marquette hit a clutch 3-ball with 16 seconds on the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 63-60, and Oberlin got the ball back again in the closing ticks, but Walker and Hancher each blocked shots as time expired and Wooster hung on. Marquette scored Oberlin's last nine points.

Overall, the Scots shot 45.8 percent (27-for-59) from the field, their second-best performance of the year, and they needed it, as Oberlin made 20 free throws compared to just 4-of-7 for Wooster.

Hancher paced Wooster in scoring with 20 points, and added six rebounds, while Walker added 14 points (12 in the second half), and Rachel Collins chipped in 10.

Maura Hall played well defensively with 10 rebounds and three steals.

With their recent losing skid behind them, the Scots will look to carry over their momentum from tonight's game when they travel to Kenyon College (8-6, 3-3 NCAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.