Scots Down Owls For First NCAC Win
Sturdivant, Riccitelli combine for 47 points in 66-57 victory
The College of Wooster women's basketball team captured its first North Coast Athletic Conference win on Wednesday, defeating Kenyon College 66-57.
Sophomore Ace Sturdivant and first-year Mackenzie Riccitelli combined for 47 points. Sturdivant scored 25, four shy of tying a career high, while Riccitelli scored 22.
Junior Ella Dean scored seven and first-year Lynx Lander gave valuable minutes late, finishing with four points and six rebounds.
Kenyon was led by a 22-point, 11-rebound performance from Alyssa Horsley.
Neither team torched the nets in the first half with Kenyon shooting 39 percent and the Scots at 29 percent. Riccitelli gave Wooster much needed offense, scoring 14 points thanks to a 4-of-6 mark from 3-point range.
Kenyon led 13-11 after one quarter before Wooster gained some distance with a 6-0 run in the second. While Kenyon matched that later in the quarter, Wooster did enough to take a 25-22 lead at halftime.
Wooster took control of the game with a 25-14 third quarter, matching their entire point total from the first half. It started with an 8-0 run to begin the quarter, which was capped by a 3-pointer from Erica Beaty.
Wooster kept the pressure on, leading by as much as 19 with 2:17 remaining in the quarter.
In the fourth, Kenyon made it interesting, cutting the lead down to as little as five. However, Lander extended Wooster's lead twice in the final two minutes. She scored off a putback layup and later scored in the paint off an assist from Riccitelli.
Wooster (4-13, 1-5 NCAC) ended up shooting 36 percent (24 of 67) from the floor and from range (11 of 31) with a 7 of 9 mark at the foul line. Kenyon (2-14, 0-6 NCAC) shot 42 percent (25 of 60) but struggled from deep at 17 percent (4 of 24).
Wooster outrebounded Kenyon 43-32. Lander and Sturdivant's six rebounds led the team, while three others pulled down five rebounds. Sturdivant also led with five assists.
Looking ahead, the Scots will host one of the top teams in the conference in DePauw University on Saturday.