Coming off exam week, the Wilmington College women's basketball team will be facing a team looking to get back in the saddle after having their five-game winning streak snapped. (Game Notes)
Preseason favorite Baldwin Wallace comes to Fred Raizk Arena 3 p.m. Saturday with the best shooting team in the league and two of the best guards the OAC has to offer.
"They were picked to win the league for a reason," said Wilmington head coach Jerry Scheve. "They are a very talented, veteran team, (Jessica) Lairson and (Audrey) Smolik are two of the most athletic players in the league."
Both guards were All-OAC honorees last season with Lairson earning first team honors, and Smolik second team recognition. Smolik is currently leading the team with 13.3 points and second with 5.7 rebounds, while Lairson is second in scoring (13.1 ppg) and is tied for team lead with 12 assists.
However, the Yellow Jackets has more than a two-person attack.
They are getting excellent contributions from the post with senior Lexi Rohrbach and sophomore Sam Hamer. Rohrbach averages 9.1 points per game and leads the team with 6.6 boards as Hamar is third on the team with 3.9 rebounds. Additionally, sophomore Alissa Munro comes off the best for 10.0 points per contest.
"We have to play good solid defense," said Scheve. "They run a great motion offense and if you make a defensive mistake, they will score. We have to limit our miscues, and continue our improvements on offense."
Senior Haley Howard (Uhrichsville, OH/New Philadelphia) has scored at least 20 points in three straight games, including a career-high 22 in the win over Marietta. She leads the team with 14.4 points in a team-high 28.4 minutes per contest. Freshman Brittaney Jefferson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) is coming off a career-high 21 points in Marietta's victory. She is the top scorer off the bench with 8.4 points and leads the team with 14 steals.
Senior Makenzie Wippel (Orient, OH/Westfall) is second on the team with 12.3 points, while freshman Hannah Haeseker (Germantown, OH/Valley View) is becoming a solid performer in the post.
Scheve commented that despite the fact she scored just one point in the victory over Marietta, she was one of the better players on the court. She finished with a career-high seven rebounds in a team-high 34 minutes.