Scot Women Swept In Califronia By C-M-S And Chapman

WOOSTER, Ohio - Playing without junior Stephanie Woodruff (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview), an all-conference player a year ago, and reserve guard Courtney Davison (Ravenna, Ohio / Ravenna), who were both out with injuries, The College of Wooster women's basketball team saw its overall record drop to 3-6 after losing a pair of non-conference games during a trip to California on Dec. 29-30.

Wooster dropped a 69-60 decision to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Dec. 29 and followed that up with a 75-50 loss to Chapman University the next afternoon.

In the first game on Friday evening against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Wooster trailed 40-30 at the break, but then fell victim to a 20-9 run midway through the second half. The Scots put together a 19-8 rally during the final 8:25, however, it was a matter of too little too late.

The difference in the contest came at the free throw line. Wooster struggled, making just 5-of-14 from the line, while the Athenas lived at the charity stripe, converting 20-of-25 attempts.

Individually, Wooster was carried on offense by forwards Nara DeJesus (Geneva, Ohio / Geneva) and Morgan Ramsdell (Toledo, Ohio / Sylvania Northview). DeJesus, a sophomore, had 19 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, while Ramsdell, a senior, had a 10-point, 12-board outing - her third double-double of the year.

"It was our first game back from a really long break and it really showed," commented the Scots' head coach Lisa Campanell Komara. "It was very difficult playing out west. The officiating was extremely different. Our players were frustrated and confused in how to make the adjustments."

Attempting to bounce back on Saturday, Wooster found itself in the hole early and struggled to make a serious run due to a cold shooting day.

The Panthers led 42-30 at the break, thanks to a 14-2 run over the last 3:19 of the first stanza and then scored 11 of the first 13 points of the second half to open up an insurmountable lead.

As a team, the Scots made just 29.0 percent (20-of-69) of their shots from the field, including 22.9 percent (8-of-35) in the second stanza, while Chapman converted 50.0 percent (31-of-62) of its field goal attempts for the game.

Sophomore guard Michaelyn Brunner (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) was Wooster's lone player to reach double figures, as she had 11 points on 5-of-8 field goal shooting.

DeJesus, who was constantly being double-teamed, was held to a career-low four points, but grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

"We really struggled offensively in this game," summarized Komara. "Once they shut down Nara, we didn't have anyone stepping up."

The Scots, who now own a 3-6 overall record, return to North Coast Athletic Conference action next week. They will play at Kenyon College on Friday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m., and then host Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m.