Women’s Basketball Defeats Kenyon, 79-52 at Home

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Dressed in pink uniforms for breast cancer awareness, Wittenberg's women's basketball team controlled the tempo from start to finish, scoring a 79-52 victory over visiting Kenyon on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contest at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

This was the 83rd meeting between the two programs, with Wittenberg leading the all-time series record 56-27. The win also extends the Tigers' streak to 12 straight victories against the Owls. It was Wittenberg's second win in a row to improve to 11-9 and 4-5 in the NCAC. Kenyon drops to 6-14, 1-8 in the conference. The Tigers also claimed a 67-62 win over the Owls in the first meeting of the season on Dec. 4.

Despite issues with turnovers that plagued both squads in the first half, the Tigers went on a shooting spree to take an 18-8 lead after one quarter was in the books. In the second, Witt continued its hot shooting and sticky defense, scoring the first four, but untimely turnovers allowed the Owls back in the game and cut the lead to seven at 36-29 at the intermission, outscoring the Tigers 21-18 in the quarter.

Using incredible defense that forced Kenyon to the outside and made it hard to get a shot off, the Tigers turned the tables back in their favor in the third, outscoring the Owls, 19-11, to go up 55-40 at the end of three, then stretching the lead even further into the fourth to secure the win.

Wittenberg scored 31 points off Kenyon's 25 turnovers. The Tigers led in all stats during the game, outshooting the Owls from the field, 52.5 percent to 28.8 percent.

With another conference victory, Wittenberg is tied for fourth with DePauw at 4-5. Ohio Wesleyan and Denison lead the league at 8-1, while John Carroll is in second at 7-2.

Two players hit double digits for Wittenberg against Kenyon in Molly Mossing (Cedarville, OH / Cedarville) with 20 points, and Faith Martin (Columbus, OH / Africentric) added 10. They also led the team in rebounds with five each. 

Team Leaders

• Hope Orders (Grove City, OH / Bishop Ready), Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) and Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) each scored eight points on the night.Freshmen Peyton Bethea (Columbus, OH / Westerville South) scored four points, and Makenna Strycker(Logansport, IN / Pioneer) added two on the night, for the first points in their early careers at Witt.
• Martin, Barnett, and Karlblom each had added three assists. Mossing led the team in steals with four. Karley Moore (Tipp City, OH / Bethel) had a team-high two blocks. 

Team Comparison

• Tiger totals for the game included going 31-of-59 from the field for 52.5 percent, 9-of-20 from three-point range for 45 percent, and 8-of-11 for 72.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Tigers had 35 rebounds, 16 assists, 23 turnovers, 31 points off turnovers, and 44 points in the paint, along with 18 bench points.
• The Owls' totals for the game included going 17-of-59 from the field for 28.8 percent, 7-of-21 from three-point range for 33.3 percent, and 11-of-16 from the free-throw line for 68.8 percent. The Owls had 31 rebounds, 11 assists, 25 turnovers, 11 points off turnovers, and 16 points in the paint.

On A Special Note:

It was a special Breast Cancer Awareness Game in honor of the late Pam Evans Smith. Wittenberg's women's basketball team sported pink uniforms during the game and had a quick moment of silence before the playing of the national anthem to honor Smith and all those who have lost their battle to cancer.

Coach Smith graduated from Wittenberg in 1982 and was a standout player all four years. She then came back to coach in 1989, where she turned the program into one of the winningest in the country with twelve 20-victory seasons from 1989-2007. She was a seven-time NCAC Coach of the Year with a record of 401-170. She led the Tigers to eight appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament and won 11 NCAC regular-season championships.

Coach Smith was loved by her Wittenberg community and passed her light onto countless others. The team collected donations at the game for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in honor of all those fighting breast cancer, but also specifically for those who fought their battle in a public arena, like Coach Smith and Coach Sandra Kay Yow, who also died of breast cancer in 2009. Yow was the head coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack women's basketball team from 1975 to 2009 and a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame after compiling 700 career wins.

Next Up

The Tigers will take on the No. 12-ranked Ohio Wesleyan on the road on Saturday, Feb. 7, in another NCAC battle. Tipoff time is 1 p.m.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook