Women’s Basketball Gives Ohio Wesleyan a Scare, But Falls 65-59

DELAWARE, OH – Hanging in with No. 12-ranked Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg's women's basketball team gave it all they had on the road, falling 65-59, in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) battle on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Branch Rickey Arena. 

Looking like it was going to be a rout after falling behind 16-4 in the first quarter, Wittenberg's offense came alive and outscored the Battling Bishops 24-15 in frame two, cutting the lead to 24-23 before Ohio Wesleyan finished on a 7-5 run to hold the lead at 31-28 at the intermission. 

The Tigers then went on a 4-0 run to start to third and capture their first lead of the game at 32-31 with 7:45 remaining. Things were back-and-forth with three lead changes before the Bishops finished out the third on a 9-3 run to go ahead 47-41. 

Wittenberg continued to be a bother staying close in the beginning of the fourth and coming within four at 48-44, until a 9-4 run pushed the lead to nine at 57-48. The Tigers cut the lead to four once more at the 1:09 mark of the final quarter at 58-54, but couldn't get any closer. 

Despite turning in a better overall field goal percentage at 37.5 percent for the Tigers to just 34.6 percent for the Bishops, Ohio Wesleyan made good on Tiger turnovers, scoring 19 points off 22 miscues. 

It was the second time Wittenberg lost to Ohio Wesleyan this season, with the first meeting going to the Bishops, 76-67, on Jan. 10. With the loss, Wittenberg drops to 11-10 overall and 4-6 in the NCAC. Ohio Wesleyan improves to 18-2 overall and 9-1 in the conference, with its only loss in the NCAC at the hands of John Carroll, another ranked team, which pulled off the 70-65 win earlier in the week to snap the Bishops' 16-game win streak. Denison and Ohio Wesleyan are tied for the lead at 9-1, John Carroll is 8-2, DePauw is 5-5, and Wittenberg at 4-6.

Three players hit double digits for Wittenberg in Molly Mossing (Cedarville, OH / Cedarville) with 16 points, Catherine Buddenberg (Elsmere, KY / Dixie Heights) poured in 15, and Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) added 10. Mossing also led the team in rebounds with nine and added two blocks. Barnett led the team in assists with four and added two steals. Faith Martin (Columbus, OH / Africentric) also had two blocks. They also led the team in rebounds with five each. 

Team Comparison

• Tiger totals for the game included going 21-for-56 from the field for 37.5 percent, 8-of-19 from three-point range for 42.1 percent, and 9-of-10 for 90 percent from the free-throw line. The Tigers had 37 rebounds, 8 assists, 22 turnovers, 14 points off turnovers, and 24 points in the paint, along with 25 bench points.
• Ohio Wesleyan totals for the game include going 18-of-52 from the field for 34.6 percent, 5-of-13 from three-point range for 38.5 percent, and 24-of-33 from the free-throw line for 72.7 percent. The Battling Bishops had 36 rebounds, 10 assists, 16 turnovers, 19 points off turnovers, and 22 points in the paint.

Next Up

The Tigers will travel to DePauw on Feb. 11 for a 6 p.m. game. 

Written By: Cindy Holbrook