Consistent Tigers Trip Up Wooster in Regular-Season Finale at Wittenberg

The College of Wooster women's basketball team fell 78-63 to Wittenberg University on Saturday at Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield, Ohio.

Junior Anna Gibbs and first-year Sarah Rapacz tallied 18 points and 12 points, respectively, as Wooster shot a solid 42.4 percent on the day. Despite the Fighting Scots' offensive production, which included a 10-for-16 mark at the foul line, a 3-for-16 performance from deep kept Wooster (6-19, 4-12 North Coast Athletic Conference) on the outside looking in as both programs wrapped up their respective regular season schedules.

Wooster, which stands seventh in the league standings, will travel to second-seeded Kenyon College on Tuesday, Feb. 20, for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Against Wittenberg (14-11, 9-7 NCAC), the Scots struck first as Akwia Tilton opened with a layup 37 seconds into the game.

The score stayed level as late as 8:27 in, as two made free throws from first-year Maria Janasko drew Wooster level at 13-all. Over the period's remainder, the Tigers tallied a 7-0 run before sophomore Cat Fiorito hit a buzzer-beating jumper to crawl back within five (20-15).

In the second, Wittenberg went ahead by as much as 11 thanks to back-to-back three-pointers to kick off the period. Three Tigers tallied at least five points in the second while Rapacz scored eight of her 12 points on 3-for-3 shooting.

The Scots shot nearly 60 percent (7-for-12) in addition to a perfect 3-for-3 at the line, and eventually drew within two possessions (32-26) at the three-minute mark after sophomore Kylie Orr connected from deep.

Despite only three points on the day, Orr, a reserve guard, has played a key scoring role for Wooster as of late, logging double-digit scoring figures in five of the final seven regular-season games.

Down 41-33 to start the third, the Tigers never mounted more than a 5-0 run, but slowly extended their lead to 11 by period's end. Two Tigers – Sydney Mayle and Korynne Berner – combined for 13 of Wittenberg's 14 points in the third.

Gibbs capped off the period's scoring with a layup at the 2:13 mark as Wooster trailed 55-44 entering the fourth.

Nineteen points in the fourth period marked a game-high for Wooster, but Wittenberg kept pace with 23 of their own, including eight from Mayle, who led the day with 26 points, including a 10-for-10 mark at the free throw line.

For Wooster, Gibbs could not be contained, going 5-for-6 in the fourth for 13 points. However, Wooster did not break within 10 points as the Tigers maintained a double-digit lead for the game's remainder. Gibbs ended with a game-high seven assists, while Janasko pulled down a co-game-high six boards.

The Scots ended the 2017-18 NCAC regular season with four wins, the most since the 2012-13 campaign. Wooster did so by sweeping Ohio Wesleyan University and Allegheny College, marking the first time the Scots have swept the season series against two or more conference opponents since the 2009-10 season.