Scots at Kenyon for Key NCAC Match-Up in Lone Action This Week

Maria Gonzalez

   After making it through a busy stretch last week, The College of Wooster women’s hoops team will slow things down a bit, traveling to North Coast Athletic Conference foe Kenyon College (6-9, 3-3 NCAC) in its lone action this week. The Fighting Scots will be at Kenyon Wednesday, Jan. 20, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with the Ladies, winners of three of their last four. Both teams are currently in a tie for fourth-place in the league standings, as they’re making a push to finish in the top-four and thus earn a home game for the NCAC Tournament. Additionally, it will mark a rematch from just two weeks ago when Kenyon upended Wooster 63-56 in Timken Gymnasium.

    Last Week: The Scots had a busy slate with three scheduled contests, finishing 2-1 on the week to improve their record to 8-7 overall and 3-3 in the NCAC.
    On Jan. 8, Wooster’s Maria Gonzalez (Millersburg, Ohio / West Holmes) recorded her first career double-double, pouring in 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, both game- and season-highs, in leading the Scots past host Lake Erie College 65-48 during non-conference action. Wooster utilized a 10-0 run to take a 24-18 lead late in the first half and went into the break up 29-23. Lake Erie cut its deficit to two early in the second, but the Scots regrouped and scored the next nine points to push the margin to double-digits (40-29) and the rest of the game was all Wooster. In addition to Gonzalez’s career performance, Carly Loehrke (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Mattawan) added 10 points, five rebounds, four blocks, and three steals.
    On Jan. 10, the Scots hung tough with the NCAC’s first-place team, Denison University, but could not muster enough offensive firepower as the Big Red escaped Timken Gymnasium with a 51-47 victory. Beth Besancon Sidle (Wooster, Ohio / Smithville) nailed a 3-pointer with 4:34 left to knot the game at 41, however, Denison came back via an old fashioned three-point play and later added a 3-pointer at the 1:52 mark to make it a two-possession game (49-45). Wooster made one last rally, as Winnie Adrien (Selden, N.Y. / Blair Academy – N.J.) sunk a pair of free throws with :15 remaining to pull her squad within two, but the Big Red then sealed it with a pair from the charity stripe themselves. Overshadowed by the Denison win was Loehrke, who shot 10-of-16 from the floor for a game-high 22 points and nearly missed a double-double with nine rebounds, also a game-high. Besancon Sidle poured in 13 points.
    On Jan. 13, the Scots strung together an early 17-6 run to help take a 37-28 halftime lead and then withstood a rally by Hiram College in the second en route to a 72-64 victory over the Terriers. After Angela Evans (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) canned a 3-pointer to give Wooster a 52-39 lead with 14:12 on the clock, Hiram staged a comeback, pulling within 61-58 at the 5:47 mark. Kym Wenz (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) then connected on a trey and so did Besancon Sidle with 3:41 remaining, as the Scots quickly built their cushion back up to 11 (69-58) and coasted to the eight-point win. Overall, Adrien bucketed a career-high 15 points and dished out a team-high four assists, while Besancon Sidle fired in 14 points and contributed six rebounds. Wenz chipped in 11 markers, Loehrke had 10 points, seven boards, and three blocked shots, and Gonzalez finished with a career-high 11 rebounds to go with eight points.

    This and That: Wooster senior forward Carly Loehrke (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Mattawan) is quickly closing in on a milestone, as she needs just 29 points to move into second-place on the school’s all-time scoring list. Loehrke, who also ranks fourth in Scot history in rebounding (716), first in field-goal percentage (.539), fourth in free throw percentage (.775), and third in blocks (110), currently has 1,173 points and will likely surpass Lisa Diment (1,201 from 1983-87), but she will not be able to catch the career leader, Katie Montague (1,610 from 1996-99).