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WOOSTER, Ohio – The score was close for most of the night as the Kenyon College women’s basketball team hit the road to take on The College of Wooster Fighting Scots on Wednesday night in a battle of two teams vying for their first win in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) this season.
The Owls took an early lead thanks to a nice offensive performance from first-year Alyssa Horsley, but slowed down in the middle quarters. A strong fourth frame helped the visitors crawl back into contention, but it wasn’t enough, as the Scots stole the 66-57 winner.
Kenyon (2-14, 0-6 NCAC) had a strong start offensively, as Horsley and Melana Pomerants combined for eight out of the Owls 13 points to start the contest, while Kiana Mollabashy and Susannah ZImmerman chipped in baskets to take a narrow 13-11 lead after the first quarter.
Wooster (4-13, 1-5 NCAC) came out on fire in the second, jumping out to an 8-to-2 run through the halfway point of the quarter, capping off the stretch with back-to-back three pointers from Mackenzie Riccitelli, who combined with Tatiyana Sturdivant for nine total threes and 47 points throughout the game.
Horsley, Mollabashy, and Katherine Organ strung together a nice four minute stretch, each finding twine and cutting the Scots lead to 22-25 at the half.
The Scots leading duo along with the rest of the offense stepped up in a big way after halftime, firing the highest quarter score of either team for the night, a whopping 25 points. Wooster etched a 9-of-16 (55.6 percent) mark from the field and hit four threes in the third to pull away. By the time the Owls could catch up, the home team had taken a 14-point lead, heading into the fourth up 50-36.
Not to be counted out, Kenyon countered with its best offensive quarter of the evening, netting 21-points in the fourth to cut into the Wooster advantage. Horsley, Mollabashy, and Zimmerman combined for 12 points to start the final frame and bring the score to 57-50 with 4:11 to play.
Two minutes later, Mollabashy added a fast break layup and another three-pointer to cut the lead to five points, the closest of the half with 2:17 to play. However, the 57-62 score is as narrow a margin as Wooster would allow for the rest of the contest, eventually forcing the Owls to foul and icing the game for the 66-57 final.
Horsley led Kenyon with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Mollabashy hit three triples for 13 points and Zimmerman dished a team-high four assists.
The Owls’ record drops to 2-14 and 0-6 in the conference. The team’s next chance for their first NCAC win will come on Saturday, January 25 at 1:00 pm, as the squad heads to Oberlin with a bout with the Yeowomen.
