GRANVILLE, Ohio - After a slow start, Oberlin College women's basketball stormed out of the halftime break and composed a 35-point second half to earn a pivotal North Coast Athletic Conference victory over Denison University, 51-46.

The Yeowomen gained a one-point advantage after the first quarter but sputtered through the second quarter, finishing with just two points in the ten minute frame on 1-of-10 (10%) shooting.

A pep talk from head coach Kerry Jenkins during the intermission got the Yeowomen back on track as they put up 18-points in the third quarter, followed by another 17 in the final frame to outscore the Big Red 35-to-22 in the second half to remain unbeaten in league play.

The comeback win elevates the Crimson and Gold to 3-4 overall and 3-0 against NCAC competition.

After Denison's Jordan Holmes tallied the first bucket of the game, Oberlin pulled back even and then captured the lead when Olivia Canning cashed in on a three-point play following a layup and a Denison shooting foul by Holmes.

The Yeowomen maintained a single-digit lead for the remainder of the opening quarter. With a 14-13 advantage heading into the second quarter, the Yeowomen's offense couldn't find traction. The lack of offensive pressure, coupled with a burst from the Big Red put the Oberlin down 24-16 at the half.

Denison quickly extended their lead to double-figures out of the break, leading by as much as 11, 28-17, just 1:06 into the frame. A three-ball from Alex Stipano, en route to an 11-point (4-of-10; 40%) performance, began a 14-5 Oberlin scoring run, that ended in the Yeowomen retaking the lead at 34-33. A successfully converted free throw from the Big Red's Valesha Province knotted the game at 34-34 heading to the fourth and final quarter in Granville.

The final ten-minutes opened with a jumper from Canning, who tied Stipano with a team-high 11 points on 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting, but Denison answered with a 3-pointer to flip the lead in their favor. A Stipano layup swung the lead back to Oberlin, but only momentarily.

Valesha Province fired back for the Big Red, only for Tyler Parlor to tally a layup with 7:13 remaining to tip the lead back to the Crimson and Gold. Parlor finished with three points and was one of three Yeowomen to post six rebounds in the comeback victory as she was joined by rookie Sarah Thompson and Abby Andrews. Province again gained the lead for Denison, but Oberlin refused to go quietly.

Andrews split a pair of foul shots to draw the game back even, 41-41. After a three-ball from Denison's Alison Schafer missed its mark, the Yeowomen went out in front with a bucket from Anna Moore, who finished with six points. An Andrews layup put the Oberlin women up four, but the Big Red trimmed the advantage in half on the ensuing possession. Another jumper from Canning increased the cushion back to four in Oberlin's favor, forcing the Big Red to foul the rest of the way. 

Oberlin converted four of their six free throws down the stretch to close out the game and complete an unlikely comeback in the mid-week tilt. In total, there were six lead changes in the closing period.

Coach Jenkins' crew returns to the hardwood this coming Saturday for their final matchup before resting for the holidays and finals. The Yeowomen will battle Ohio Wesleyan University on December 10, at 1 p.m., the first half of a women's-men's doubleheader in Delaware, Ohio.