After scoring 19 points in each of the first two periods, the Wilmington College women's basketball team managed just 23 points in the second half, lost a 13-point second-half lead and fell to John Carroll Saturday, 70-61, at the DeCarlo Center in Ohio Athletic Conference action.
"A lot of times it comes down to making shots," said Wilmington head coach Jerry Scheve. "In the first half, we made some shots, gained some confidence from that and got our break going. We got some easy baskets, made some three's and felt good about where we were at. In the second half, we didn't make those shots, and coupled with some unforced turnovers, we weren't able to hold on."
Just as the Fightin' Quakers built a game-high 13-point second-half advantage, they started to get a little sloppy with the ball. They committed five turnovers and missed two free throws over a three-minute span enabling the Blue Streaks to pull to within six.
Missed free throws were a problem for Wilmington all game as WC shot just 4-of-13 from the charity stripe in the game.
Despite some of the difficulties, WC led by nine with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. But, a three-pointer as time expired inspired the Blue Streaks and cut its deficit to three.
"They hit a big shot at the buzzer to cut it to three, and it seemed to give them a boost that we weren't able to match," said Scheve.
The long-range shot came in the middle of a 20-3 spurt that spanned the end of the third period and the start of the fourth period putting the game away.
"The difference in the game is we didn't rebound the ball nearly as well in the second half as we did in the first," said Scheve. "You can give some of that credit to John Carroll, but we need to do a better job.
"This team isn't a finished product yet," Scheve continued. "From the standpoint of progress, I was happy. I think we are better team now than we were a week ago. If we can continue in that direction, we can get to the point where we are a really good team."
Junior Brittaney Jefferson (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, all in the first half. Sophomore Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington) tied a career-high with 10 points, while junior Hannah Haeseker (Germantown, OH/Valley View) added 11 points and seven boards.
Wilmington (2-4 overall, 1-2 OAC) will host Heidelberg 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
