Hannah Kiser

The College of Wooster women's basketball team outscored conference leader Denison University in the second half, but could not overcome another slow start, dropping a 56-42 road contest on Saturday afternoon inside the Livingston Gymnasium at Granville, Ohio.

Wooster (5-16, 1-11 North Coast Athletic Conference) finished with a 26-21 scoring advantage over the final 20 minutes, while outshooting Denison (19-3, 12-1 NCAC) .407 (11-for-27) to .348 (8-for-23). The 21 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Big Red in the second half of a game this season.

Two runs in the fourth period were key in enabling Wooster to finish with more points than Denison over the final two stanzas.

First, senior Lauren Hancher led the way during a 6-0 clip with an impressive and-one play. The Fighting Scots also had a big jumper from sophomore Katie Mandych during the stretch.

Later, Wooster ended the game with a 9-2 clip, highlighted by five points from sophomore Hannah Kiser.

The Scots had a strong start to the contest with Hancher giving Wooster the early led at 2-0, and again at 4-2, connecting on a pair of field goals in the first 1:05 of the contest. The dual-sport standout later tied the contest at eight with 5:08 remaining in the opening stanza.

The Big Red responded with a 5-0 clip over the final 4:08 of the opening frame with a 3-pointer from Kellie Arter and a jumper from Emily Krumpe opening up a 13-8 edge.

Denison used a 9-0 run in the early moments of the second period to open up a double-digit lead for the duration of the contest.

Also of note, Wooster had a 5-0 run early in the third period with junior Rachel Collins flipping in a layup to start the stretch.

Individually, Hancher led Wooster with 18 points on the day, finishing 8-of-13 from the field.

Denison standout Jordan Holmes paced the Big Red with 22 points and 22 rebounds, notching her 18th double-double of the season in the process, and moving her into a tie for the Div. III national lead.

Up next, Wooster travels to Hiram College (11-11, 5-8 NCAC) for a 6 p.m. tilt on Wednesday. The contest will mark the final regular-season road game for the Scots.