Greencastle, IN – The fourth-seeded Oberlin College women's basketball team led by 11 points with 12:32 left to play in the game but the third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops turned up the defensive pressure en route to winning their sixth North Coast Athletic Conference Championship by the score of 79-71.
The Yeowomen were clicking on all cylinders for the bulk of the third quarter, opening up a 52-42 lead on a
Gina Lombard triple-hit from the top of the arc with 4:16 left in the quarter. With Under three minutes to go in the period,
Bryana Woodard would connect from distance to give the Yeowomen a 55-44 advantage, but things would take a drastic turn for the worse from there.
The Bishops closed the quarter strong, using a 9-0 run to the cut the deficit down to just two, 55-53, heading into the final frame. Ohio Wesleyan's full-court press and relentless defensive pressure flustered Oberlin and clearly took the Yeowomen out of rhythm as they went scoreless for over eight minutes from the end of the third and into the fourth.
After the Bishops built up a 62-55 lead, a
Camille Zinaich jumper finally stopped the scoring drought for Oberlin with 4:49 left to play. However, the Bishops never let Oberlin fully back into the game as they answered every rebuttal – eventually grabbing a 72-60 lead with 1:34 remaining to leave no doubt in the eventual outcome.
Oberlin was plagued by a season-high 29 turnovers that led to 33 points for the Bishops. OWU also benefitted from a large discrepancy at the free throw line as they cashed in 24 of the 30 freebies they hoisted for an 80-percent success rate. Meanwhile, the Yeowomen attempted just six charity tosses all night, connecting on four.
Zinaich notched her second straight double-double as she finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way in both categories. Woodard matched
Alyson Jefferson with 13 points, while Lombard cashed in 12 points in the loss. At the game's conclusion both Zinaich and Lombard were named to the NCAC All-Tournament team.
Both teams came out aggressive in the first quarter, each connecting on over 50 percent of their shots with the Bishops claiming a slim 22-20 advantage after 10 minutes of action.
It continued to be nip-and-tuck throughout the second quarter as no more than four points separated the two foes at any point. An early 7-0 Yeowomen spurt gave them a 27-24 cushion at the 7:02 mark but after four more lead changes it was Oberlin who carried a 38-37 differential into the intermission to set the stage for the second half.
Overall, Oberlin shot 50.9 percent from the floor with 29 makes on 57 attempts, which included a 9-of-24 (37.5%) showing from distance. The Bishops went 27-of-62 (43.5%) shooting and were able to overcome a 1-of-12 (8.3%) effort from 3-point land.
Tournament MVP Kasey Schipfer led Bishops with 22 points and 11 boards.
Oberlin ends its season at 17-11 overall while OWU heads into the NCAA Tournament at 18-10.
