Loehrke?s Monster Performance Keys Scots to 78-65 Win Over Thiel in Nan Nichols Championship Tilt

Carly Loehrke

Wooster, Ohio -  Behind a stellar 34-point, 16-rebound performance from Carly Loehrke, The College of Wooster women’s basketball team won the title game of the 11th annual Nan Nichols Classic, its first since 2003 and third overall, with a 78-65 victory over Thiel College.

Not only was the 34 points a career-high for the talented senior, but it also sent her over the 1,000 careers points plateau, now with 1,016 points, making her only the sixth Wooster player in history to accomplish the feat.

The Scots (2-0) came running out of the gates to begin the game, pulling ahead by an early 11-2 margin, before Thiel (1-1) would gather itself and chip away at the lead, cutting it to one-point (13-12) .  Wooster then went on a 7-0 run to increase its cushion to eight on a Meredith Wilson jumper and would build as much as a 12 point lead with 6:09 remaining in the stanza before Thiel battled back to send the game in to the half deadlocked at 34-34.

The second half remained tightly contested throughout the first seven minutes, with Thiel taking its first lead of the game, 42-40, on an Amber Bodrick layup. The Scots regained possession and quickly tied the game when Loehrke hit a jumper in the paint and never trailed again.

Wooster built a ten point lead halfway through the frame, but Thiel wouldn’t back down, pulling within three and making things interesting with eight minutes left to play. A three-point shot by Nicole Valentino cut the Scot lead to 66-65 with 3:07 remaining, however timely shooting, keyed by Loehrke sealed the victory for the Scots.

In addition to Loerhke, who was named the tournament’s MVP, the Scots were led by Kym Wenz, who garnered Defensive MVP honors the weekend behind her second-consecutive 18-point performance in only her second career game. Wenz also added five steals, two rebounds and three assists. Rouding out Wooster’s selections to the all-tournament squad was Winnie Adrien, who finished with seven points, two rebounds and two assists.

Thiel was led behind Boderick’s 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Valentino chipped in 18 markers and six boards. Both were named all-tournament selections.

Earlier in the afternoon, Olivet defeated Lake Erie 79-69 to win the consolation match.  The game was a back-and-forth battle throughout most of the 40 minutes, with Lake Erie (0-2) holding onto a 26-23 lead at the half.

Olivet (1-1) battled back midway through the second half to take a 41-40 lead on a Stephanie Smith free throw. The Comets would never trail again, outscoring the Storm 38-29 through the rest of the game to pick up its first win of the season.

Leading Olivet was Amy Breckenwagen with 23 points, while Audrey Graham netted 20 points. Smith finished with 12 points and eight boards to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

Lake Erie was led by Jalisa Mitchell’s 21 points, earning her the final spot on the all-tournament squad.

The Scots will be back in action after the Thanksgiving holiday, when they travel to Westminster (Pa.) on Saturday, November 25, for a 1 p.m. tip-off.