Suvi’s Career Night Not Enough in 74-66 Setback to ‘Gheny

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster had two players go over the 20-point mark, as Lauren Hancher scored 24, and Suvi Puripattarapan added a career-high 22, but Allegheny College overcame those standout performances to get past the Fighting Scots 74-66 on Wednesday evening in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Timken Gymnasium.

It didn't take Puripattarapan long to get going, as she scored her first eight points just 6:49 into the contest, with her last two coming on a jumper from just inside the three-point arc that put Wooster (7-16, 2-13 NCAC) ahead 16-11.

Hancher scored the game's next basket to push Wooster's advantage to seven at 18-11, but Allegheny (14-10, 8-7 NCAC) rattled off six in a row to pull within one (18-17) around the midway point of the first half.

Both teams traded baskets over the next seven-plus minutes, with Maura Hall's lay-up at 2:47 knotting the score at 26-26, but the Gators scored the last six points of the stanza to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room.

It was a seesaw battle for most of the second half, as Allegheny extended its cushion to 10 early on, only to see Wooster cut it back down to just four at 39-35. Then the Gators went back to work, leading by as much as 12 (50-38), before the Scots made one last run behind Hancher and Puripattarapan.

At one point, the duo combined to score 18 straight Wooster points down the stretch, with 10 coming from Puripattarapan, but the Scots could never slice their deficit to under six despite a strong effort throughout the half.

Wooster shot 90.5 percent (19-for-21) from the free throw line, with Hancher and Puripattarapan both going a perfect 6-for-6. However, the Scots' recent struggles from 3-point land (1-for-12) continued, and they turned the ball over 20 times for just the third time all season.

Hancher's 24 points put her over 20 for the fifth time this season, while Puripattarapan hit the milestone for just the second time in her career. Puripattarapan also filled up the stat sheet with eight rebounds and three assists.

Also noteworthy, Hall neared a double-double with eight points and 11 boards to go along with three steals, while Karley Walker chipped in four points and two blocked shots.

Allegheny was paced by Rachel Vigliotti, who went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe on her way to 18 points. She also passed out six assists.

The Scots will look to close out the regular season on a high note when they host Kenyon College (14-9, 9-6 NCAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.