Scots Have Three-Game Stretch This Week vs. Lake Erie, Denison, Hiram

Carly Loehrke

   The College of Wooster women’s basketball team continues a busy stretch with three scheduled contests this week, including playing host to two North Coast Athletic Conference affairs in the friendly confines of Timken Gymnasium. First, the Fighting Scots will travel to non-league foe Lake Erie College (3-6) in an early week match-up on Monday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. The Scots and the Storm clashed already this year, with Wooster easily earning a season-opening 85-52 victory during the 2006 Nan Nichols Classic. The Scots are back home Wednesday, Jan. 10, to welcome the NCAC’s first-place team, Denison University (11-3, 5-0 NCAC), at 7:30 p.m. The Big Red are riding a seven-game winning streak. Wooster holds a 33-26 edge over Denison in the squads’ all-time series, however, the Big Red were victorious in all three meetings last season – 71-64 at Denison and 58-49 at Wooster in the regular season as well as 64-51 in the NCAC Tournament – to extend their streak over the Scots to 13 games. Finally, Wooster will entertain visiting Hiram College (5-7, 1-3 NCAC) on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 7:30 p.m., which will mark the Scots’ fifth game in 11 days. Historically, Wooster is 16-3 against the Terriers, but they split last year, dropping a narrow 65-64 decision in Hiram and later winning 65-58 in Wooster.

    Last Week: The Scots split a pair of NCAC games last week, maintaining a .500 record both overall (6-6) and in the conference (2-2).
    On Jan. 3, visiting Kenyon College used a sharp performance from 3-point range, hitting 4-of-6 such attempts in the second half and 7-of-14 for the game, to propel themselves over Wooster by a score of 63-56. It was 33-25 Kenyon at the half. After an early burst in the second by the Scots, the Ladies went on a key 16-8 run to take an 11-point lead. Wooster got it back down to four (53-49) on a Winnie Adrien (Selden, N.Y. / Blair Academy – N.J.) steal and lay-up with 6:05 left, but the Scots could get no closer. Wooster was paced by three players scoring in double figures, with Kym Wenz (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) leading the way at 14 points. Carly Loehrke (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Mattawan) and Adrien each contributed 10, with Loehrke adding a team-high seven rebounds.
    On Jan. 6, the Scots opened the game on a 15-2 run, with Loehrke scoring eight of her points during that stretch, and then held on down the stretch to knock off host Oberlin College 61-51. Wooster was ahead 30-22 at the halftime break, however, the Yeowomen came out red-hot in the second, scoring 14 of the first 17 points to knot the game for the first time at 34-34. The Scots pushed their lead back to four, but Oberlin came back again and eventually earned a five-point edge of 50-45 with slightly under three minutes remaining. It was all Wooster during the final stretch, outscoring the Yeowomen 16-1, behind six points from Loehrke and 6-of-6 free throw shooting from Wenz. Overall, Loehrke recorded a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, in addition to producing two blocks and four steals. Wenz chipped in 14 points, five boards, and three steals, while Adrien finished with eight points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists.