Huntingdon, PA – The Oberlin College women's basketball team used a commanding defensive performance to defeat the Elmira College Eagles 56-32 on day two of the Comfort Inn Classic on the campus of Juniata College.
The 32 points scored by the Eagles were the lowest of any Oberlin opponent all year as the Yeowomen held them to just 27.1 percent shooting with 13 makes on 48 attempts. Oberlin also won the battle of the boards 49-36 and had seven blocked shots.
Oberlin struggled with its shot as well, connecting at a 30.3 percent (20-of-66) success rate but used a diverse scoring attack with 13 different players getting on the board in the win. First-year
Lily Najmulski matched a career-high with eight points, while
Bryana Woodard chipped in seven points while matching rookies
Angela Kumler and
Anora Lee with a team-high six rebounds.
Both teams struggled to find their footing in the opening quarter, combining to go 6-of-26 shooting in the session. A triple-hit from Lee gave Oberlin a 7-6 edge at the 2:34 mark and the Yeowomen eventually led 12-6 after 10 minutes of play.
The Eagles remained ice cold heading into the second quarter, going scoreless for the final 4:04 of the first quarter all the way until the 4:07 mark of the second as the Yeowomen swelled the lead to 24-6 before Taylor Jung's jumper finally stopped the drought.
The Yeowomen took a 24-11 advantage into the break and for the second game in a row used a big third period to break the battle wide open. Oberlin cashed in 4-of-5 triple-tries in the 19-point period to leave no doubt in the eventual outcome, heading into the final stanza with a 43-19 cushion in hand.
Oberlin's bench bunch outscored its Elmira counterparts 31-17 and OC turned 19 Eagles' turnovers into 22 points.
At the end of the tournament,
Gina Lombard was named MVP, while
Alyson Jefferson and Woodard also earned all-tournament team honors.
The Yeowomen closed out the non-conference part of their schedule at 7-4 with all North Coast Athletic Conference games remaining on the schedule.
The NCAC slate will commence on Wednesday evening at the College of Wooster. Tip-time is set for 5:00 p.m.
