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| Jena Copley (L) and Sarah Marion (R) battle for a loose ball during Wednesday's game. |
WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster women's basketball team led 40-39 after three quarters, but a 27-point fourth quarter sent Denison University to a 66-53 victory Wednesday night.
Denison moved to 10-7 overall and 6-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while Wooster dropped to 5-12 overall and 1-7 in the NCAC.
Denison's Valesha Province led all scorers with 16 points. Anna Gibbs scored 14 to lead Wooster. Maria Janasko finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
Wooster used a 16-6 first quarter to pull ahead early. They got out to a 6-0 lead and held Denison without a field goal until 6:14 remained in the first quarter. The defense held the Big Red to just 3-for-18 shooting in the opening stanza including a 0-for-6 mark beyond the arc.
The teams traded momentum in the second quarter as Denison cut their deficit to two to make it 29-27 at halftime. Wooster led by as many as 11 before Denison went on a 10-1 run in the final 3:26.
The lead changed twice in the third quarter. Akwia Tilton hit a pair of free throws to break a 36-36 tie, and at the end of the third Wooster held a slim 40-39 advantage.
Denison scored the first five points of the fourth to hold the lead once again, and the lead grew to double digits with three minutes remaining in the game.
Both teams shared similar shooting percentages. Wooster shot 37 percent (17-for-46) from the floor and 24 percent (4-for-17) from deep, while Denison shot 38 percent (25-for-66) from the floor and 24 percent (5-for-21) from range.
Denison shot 92 percent (11-for-12) from the foul line, and Wooster shot 71 percent (15-for-21).
The Big Red outrebounded Wooster 43-30. They outscored the Scots in bench points, 27-26, and second chance points, 16-10.
Wooster will return to action Saturday when they host Hiram College. Hiram took the previous meeting on Dec. 1, 2018, 74-62, where Gibbs scored a game-high 19 points.