Courtney Tucker's three-point attempt at the buzzer hit off the glass, then the rim and bounced to the floor, and the Wilmington College women's basketball team fell to Baldwin Wallace Saturday, 65-62, in Ohio Athletic Conference action at Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court.
"We executed really well, and the shot just didn't go," said Wilmington head coach Jerry Scheve. "We are ready to win games like this, and it's disappointing that we didn't get it done. It certainly wasn't from a lack of effort. We played an intelligent game. I thought we played together, and it really came down to we didn't make enough shots. They were makeable shots, and we just have to make more of them.
The loss drops Wilmington to 13-9 overall, 8-7 OAC, and will prevent it from securing the fourth seed – and the first round bye that comes with the seeding. The Fightin' Quakers hold a one-game lead over Heidelberg for the fifth seed.
Just getting the opportunity for the equalizer seemed improbable as WC trailed by seven with two minutes remaining. However, they continued to battle back. It started with a three-pointer from sophomore Brittaney Jefferson (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) and a layup by sophomore Mary Moyer (Martinsville, OH/Clinton-Massie) had the Fightin' Quakers down two with 24 seconds remaining.
Baldwin Wallace couldn't quite put WC away at the line as they split four free throws to leave the door slightly ajar.
Moyer's three cut the deficit to one with 1.9 seconds remaining. Baldwin Wallace did make both free throws with 1.6 remaining, but Wilmington had one last gasp. Unfortunately, the prayer wasn't answered and WC fell.
The team's traded jabs in the first half as the first 20 minutes featured seven lead changes and eight ties with Wilmington holding the biggest lead – a four-point edge. There were 11 ties and eight lead changes in the game. It was more of the same in the first part of the second half.
Soon after Wilmington took a four-point lead with 14:26 remaining, BW took a timeout. It appeared to work as the Yellow Jackets scored eight straight points during a 15-3 run – pushing the BW lead to eight points with 8:42 remaining. The lead was as much as nine before the Fightin' Quakers made one last push.
Tucker (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore) recorded her fourth career double-double, her third this season, with 17 points (5-of-15 shooting) and 12 rebounds (nine defensive) in 32 minutes of action.
"Courtney is playing like a senior is supposed to play, giving it her all every single day," said Scheve. "She wants to go out a winner this season and she made big plays for us down the stretch to get us back in it."
Moyer added her second career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds (nine offensive) in 21 minutes. Senior Ashley Andracki (Columbus, OH/Bishop Watterson) dished out a team-high five assists for the Fightin' Quakers.
"Mary was really a force on the boards for us," said Scheve. "She is a player we converted to a post player, and she is still learning how to play that position. She is a player that can dominate the boards and hopefully she is going to continue to do it."
Wilmington will honor its three seniors – Tucker, Spencer Robles (Clyde, OH/Clyde) and Kirsten Glick (Arcadia, OH/Arcadia) – prior to Wednesday's game against Muskingum.