Wooster, No. 12 DePauw Square Off in NCAC Tournament Quarterfinals
This Week's Outlook: Two teams on respective sides of the North Coast Athletic Conference spectrum square off on Tuesday evening inside the Lilly Center at Greencastle, Ind. as The College of Wooster (3-22, 2-14 NCAC) travels to No. 14 DePauw University on Tuesday evening for a No. 1 vs. No. 8 quarterfinal showdown in the 2017 NCAC Tournament.
Media Coverage: Fans can follow Wooster's quarterfinal game through the available live stream and live stats web pages. Fans can also follow the women's basketball team's Twitter account @WoosterWBB for periodic score updates.
Wednesday's Recap: In Saturday's "Senior Day" win over archrival Wittenberg University, the Fighting Scots shot 31.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-16), with four alone coming from first-year guard Kylie Orr (Newport, Ky./Newport), who finished with a game-high 19 points in 25 minutes off the bench. On the game, Wooster overcame 31 total turnovers and did so by holding the Tigers to 22.4 percent shooting from the floor, including under 17 percent from three. Sophomore forward Christina Vukovich (Medina, Ohio/Medina) continued to hold down the low block with a team-best seven rebounds, while the Scots nailed 10-of-12 free throws to seal the win and a tournament berth. First-year Cat Fiorito (Goshen, Ky./North Oldham) chimed in with 13 points on an efficient 4-of-8 shooting, along with a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
A Look-Back at Last Week: The Scots dropped their midweek tilt to Kenyon College, 43-61, on Wednesday as both Wooster and Allegheny College stood tied for the eighth and final conference tournament spot heading into the weekend. Allegheny's loss to Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday cleared the way for the Scots against Witt, as they controlled their own destiny with a win, and a win they got as Wooster tallied its second win in four games to close the season. Of note, Saturday's win was the first regular-season finale win for Wooster since the 2009-10 campaign.
First-Year Showcase: First-years have burst onto the scene for Wooster down the homestretch. In each of the last six games, a first-year has either led or co-led the Scots in scoring. Of note, two of Wooster top-three shooters (by percentage) are first-years, including Orr and classmate Fiorito. On the glass, first-year Akwia Tilton (Southfield, Mich./Roeper School) currently co-leads the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and comes into the tournament hot from the floor after putting a team-high 14 points on nine shots last week at Kenyon and a then-season-best 12 points at Ohio Wesleyan in the game prior.
There and Back Again, A Senior's Tale: This season marks the first time since the 2013-14 season in which Wooster has qualified in the conference tournament. Concidentally, Tuesday's match-up will be a rematch of 2014's NCAC quarterfinal contest, which top-ranked DePauw took, 70-41. Prior to this year, the only Scots to play in any post-season contest were the trio of seniors - Danielle Besancon (Wooster, Ohio/Smithville), Rachel Collins (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) and Natalie Coschigano (The Plains, Ohio/Athens) - who each saw quality playing time in the Scots' 2014 loss to DePauw. Combined, the three have made 257 appearances for the Scots' women's basketball program. Notable, Collins, who ranks 10th in program history in career 3-point field goals (79), has appeared in every single regular season game throughout her career (100).
Looking to Change the Tide: The Tigers lead the all-time series, 14-1, including two victories over the Scots this season. Wooster's last victory over DePauw came on Dec. 6, 1985 in the form of an 85-69 victory with W Association Hall of Famer Nan Nichols at the helm. Sophomore point guard Anna Gibbs (Gahanna, Ohio/Westerville North) led Wooster in scoring in the most recent match-up this season, tallying 19 points on 17 shots on Jan. 28. Before the turn of the calendar year, Collins posted a team-best 10 points against the Tigers on Dec. 10 in Greencastle, Ind.
In Gibbs We Trust: Gibbs continues to highlight Wooster's offensive contingent. The point guard, who averages 34.4 minutes - the second-most in the conference - is only one of two players in the league to rank in the top-four in assists per game (2.8) and points per game (12.8).