Junior Haley Howard scored a career-high 20 points, but it wasn't enough as Baldwin-Wallace used two double-digit runs in recording the 59-51 victory Saturday over Wilmington in Ohio Athletic Conference at the Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court.
Howard (Uhrichsville, OH/New Philadelphia), who had a previous career-high of 14 points, went 5-of-6 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line in securing her 20 points in 23 minutes of action.
"She played really great today," said head coach Jerry Scheve. "She was completely in charge out there. It was her most complete game of the season."
Howard's importance was personified late in the first half as she went to the bench with her second foul of the game. With the junior forced to watch, Baldwin-Wallace went on the first of its runs. The Yellow Jackets scored 15 of the last 17 points of the first half, transforming a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead.
After Howard scored the first five points of the second half, BW threw its second long run at the Lady Quakers. Baldwin-Wallace hit back-to-back three's to ignite a 12-2 run pushing its lead back to double figures.
Wilmington fought its way back into the game on several occasions; the Yellow Jackets had an answer. Both answers came from leading scorer Jessica Lairson. She hit a three-points after Wilmington drew to within four with 6:14 remaining, then converted a three-point play with 2:39 remaining immediately after the Lady Quakers pulled to within three.
The Lady Quakers, who shot just 32 percent from the field, played their second straight game without the services of senior captain LeAnn Topp (New Bremen, OH/New Bremen).
"I am proud of what we accomplished this week, especially not having the services of our senior leader," said Scheve. "The other kids have stepped up. We got a good win (Wednesday) and played well against a good team today. We are playing with confidence going into the final weeks of the season."
Senior Brianna Peters (Alexandria, KY/Campbell County) added nine points, nine rebounds, a team-high four assists and two steals for the Lady Quakers.
The game marked just the third time this season, Wilmington lost a game when they outrebound an opponent. The Lady Quakers held a 43-28 edge on the glass.
Wilmington (13-8 overall, 9-5 OAC) travels to third-place Otterbein 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Thanks to Capital's upset loss to John Carroll, the Lady Quakers remaining a game ahead of the Crusaders.