Scot Women'S Basketball Comes Back to Defeat Muskingum

Nara DeJesus led Wooster with 24 points.

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Facing a 17-point second-half deficit and watching one of its top players foul out with six minutes remaining, The College of Wooster women's basketball team pulled together and upended Muskingum College 80-74 in the first round of the Mount St. Joseph Tournament on Friday afternoon.

"This was a big win for our program," commented head coach Lisa Campanell Komara. "I am so proud of this group for coming back from being that far down in the second half."

Wooster was outplayed in the first 20 minutes of its season-opener, falling behind 44-29 at the halftime break, and then saw Muskingum extend that lead to 17 with 14 minutes left in regulation before the Scots' defense buckled down. The Lady Muskies were held without a bucket for the ensuing four minutes, as Wooster crept back into the ball game.

The spark in Wooster's second-half comeback came when sophomore guard Michaelyn Brunner (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) drew a charge at the 9:02 mark, changing the whole atmosphere of the game, according to Campanell Komara. That play was followed by a series of pull-up jumpers in the lane by junior wing Stephanie Woodruff (Toledo, Ohio / Sylvania Northview) and a three-pointer by junior guard Kerri Horst (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern), which resulted in the Scots taking the lead and eventually winning by six.

Despite being plagued with foul trouble and being the lone player in the contest to foul out, sophomore forward Nara DeJesus (Geneva, Ohio / Geneva) posted 24 points and six rebounds to lead the Scots. Woodruff registered 19 points and matched DeJesus' rebound total, while Horst was the other double-digit scorer for Wooster with 10 points.

Despite not shooting the ball well from the field, senior co-captain Joci Horn (Cincinnati, Ohio / Ursuline Academy) hit 7-of-10 free throws en route to nine points and had a Wooster-high three steals. In addition, freshman forward Kirsten Lucas (Danville, Ohio / Danville Local) connected on 4-of-4 field goal attempts for eight points.

For Muskingum, Jessica Gates led the way in both scoring and rebounding with 17 points and five boards, while Erin McQuaide and Tricia Simpson chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Scots will meet the winner of Friday night's game between Trinity College (D.C.) and host Mount St. Joseph College on Saturday at 2 p.m.