Scots Open New Year and NCAC Play Against Kenyon

GAMBIER – The College of Wooster women's basketball team opened North Coast Athletic Conference play on Wednesday with a 63-44 loss at Kenyon College.

In the team's first game of the new year, the Scots were without one of their key offensive contributors, Ella Dean, and they scored their third fewest points of the season.

Meanwhile, Kenyon (3-10, 1-1 NCAC) had its second-best offensive showing of the season and collected its first NCAC win in two games.

Wooster senior Alyssa Chritz did her best to replicate her success from last year's matchup in Gambier when she tallied a then collegiate best 20 points and 14 rebounds. On Wednesday, she finished with 16 points and four rebounds on just 30 percent shooting (7 of 23).

Sophomore Ella Biondi scored 11 points, nine of which came within the first two quarters. She also pulled down five rebounds.

First-year Ace Sturdviant added 10 points, and sophomore Erica Beaty recorded a team-high six rebounds in her first start.

Kenyon had three players reach double figures, led by a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double performance from Claudia Cooke.

Wooster struggled from the court, shooting just 31 percent (18 of 58) compared to Kenyon's 47 percent (23 of 49). Range was not working either for the Scots, shooting 14 percent (3 of 21) from deep, while Kenyon shot 46 percent (5 of 11).

At the foul line, Wooster shot 42 percent (5 of 12), and Kenyon shot 63 percent (12 of 19).

The Owls outrebounded Wooster 42-27 and led by as many as 27 in the third quarter.

The first few possessions resembled an evenly matched game as Sturdivant scored the opening basket. Kenyon scored the next five, but Beaty sunk her only 3-pointer of the game to tie the game at 5-5.

From there, Biondi would give Wooster a 7-6 lead, and it would be their last. Kenyon finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to go ahead 12-7.

Kenyon then took control with a second quarter where they shot 69 percent (9 of 13) to take a 35-20 lead in what would be too large of a hole for Wooster to dig out of.

Wooster (4-7, 0-1 NCAC) will travel to Denison University on Saturday in another NCAC contest before returning home for a pair of games next week.