Scots Edged Out 70-62 in Clash with Gators

Lauren Hancher scored a game-high 22 points and Rachel Collins recorded the first double-double of her career (13 points, 10 rebounds), but it wasn't quite enough, as The College of Wooster was edged out by Allegheny College, 70-62, on Wednesday evening in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Meadville, Pa.

The Fighting Scots' (1-23, 0-15 NCAC) stretch of highly-competitive play continued tonight, as this marked their fourth single-digit loss in their last five games.

It was all Wooster in the early goings, as a Collins 3-pointer and three straight baskets from Hancher put the Scots up 9-0 in just over two minutes.

That cushion helped Wooster keep the Gators (14-10, 7-8 NCAC) at bay for the majority of the first half, as it never trailed for nearly 14 minutes. Eventually, Allegheny took its first lead at 22-21, and then increased its advantage to as much as eight, until a late Lindy Howard 3-pointer helped pull the Scots back within six at the break (35-29).

Being six points down became a theme for Wooster in the second half, as it trailed by exactly six points on six different occasions, including at 57-51. Finally, the Scots inched even closer, as they erased a 10-point deficit (63-53) with two key plays – another 3-pointer from Collins, and a Katherine Mandych lay-up – which made it a five-point game (63-58) with 3:37 to go in regulation.

From that point on, Allegheny closed out the game by going 7-for-8 from the free throw line to halt Wooster's comeback bid.

That was one significant edge for Gators in the game, as they went to the charity stripe 18 times (13-for-18), while the Scots were limited to just 5-of-6.

Hancher's 22 tallies marked the 10th time this season the junior standout has gone over 20 points. Meanwhile, 5-5 guard Collins notched a double-double with 13 points and career-highs in both rebounds (10) and blocks (4).

Also noteworthy, Howard pulled down seven boards in just 14 minutes, and Hannah Kiser had a strong line off the bench with six points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Allegheny's scoring leader was Marina Scarantino (16 points), while Rachel Vigliotti chipped in nine points and eight assists.

The Scots will wrap up their 2014-15 season on Saturday with a trip to Kenyon College (6-17, 4-11 NCAC). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.