Granville, Ohio – Recording her second consecutive career-high for points scored, Gabby Peña-Hilzen led the Oberlin College women's basketball team against nationally-ranked Denison on Wednesday night. The Big Red flexed their No. 15 ranking for a 93-56 win, despite the sophomore's incredible outing.
 
Scoring 17 points, Peña-Hilzen went 8-11 from the field and added a rebound and a steal to the outing. Angela Kumler continued her balanced play of ten points, five steals, four rebounds, two blocks, and two assists. Also scoring ten points was Noa Brown, who dished out another four rebounds, a steal, and an assist.
 
The Big Red got rolling pretty quickly with a triple to start the game, but Lily Najmulski responded with a three-pointer of her own to tie the game. Oberlin went toe-to-toe with Denison through the first chunk of the quarter, but the national competition slowly pulled away for a double-digit lead to end the frame.
 
Peña-Hilzen opened the quarter with a layup in the first possession, backed by another trey from Najmulski. Ellie Pollock-Ballard got in on the scoring action with 3:38 remaining, but Oberlin struggled to maintain their momentum.
 
The Yeowomen's best stretch of play came in the third quarter when they outscored the Big Red 16-15. Najmulski and Brown went 3-3 on three-pointers to begin the third period, followed by a driving layup from Krystal Montas. Pollock-Ballard added another triple at the end the of frame for an Oberlin boost.
 
Still facing an uphill battle to get back within striking distance, the triple threat of Peña-Hilzen, Brown, and Kumler caused chaos on the Denison defense through the final quarter. Despite the efforts, Oberlin's deficit was too large to overcome in one quarter, and the Crimson and Gold fell to No. 15 Denison.
 
The North Coast action continues for Oberlin on Saturday, January 17, when they host Wittenberg for a doubleheader with the men's basketball team. Tip-off for the women's game is at 2 p.m., with the men's game following after.
 
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