WESTERVILLE – After a lackluster first half, the Wilmington College women's basketball team exploded in the third quarter en route to recording the 62-51 win over Otterbein in Ohio Athletic Conference action at the Rike Center.
"We played well in the first half defensively," said Wilmington head coach Jerry Scheve. "Offensively, we were as bad as we have played all year. We didn't share the ball, didn't get good shots, rushed some shots and ultimately, didn't make shots. Nothing was going right.
"However, we really thought at halftime if we played better, a five-point deficit wasn't unsurmountable," Scheve continued.
Junior Emily Harman (Versailles, OH/Versailles) tallied half of Wilmington's points as the Quakers reclaimed the lead by scoring 12 of the first 14 third-quarter points.
Just as the Cardinals seemed to have stabilized the momentum, senior Ja'Cole Tabor (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) had different ideas. She scored six of WC's points in a 10-2 run that capped the third quarter. When the damage was all said and done, Wilmington held the Cardinals to just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) shooting and outscored OC 24-8.
Three consecutive three-pointers by junior Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington), senior Ashley Andracki (Columbus, OH/Bishop Watterson) and freshman Samantha Murphy (Fayetteville, OH/Fayetteville Perry) to open the fourth quarter gave Wilmington some breathing room.
"Obviously, the third quarter got us going, but it was the start of the fourth quarter that gave us a commanding lead," said Scheve. "We had some key players not play well, but the best thing about tonight was we found other ways to win."
Scheve pointed to the play of Harman, Hooper, Murphy and Tabor as aiding in the victory.
Harman tied a career high with 12 points and established a career high with nine boards to lead the Fightin' Quakers.
Senior Mary Moyer (Martinsville, OH/Clinton Massie) finished with 11 points, most coming down the stretch as Wilmington sealed the victory from the free throw line, and a game-high 15 rebounds. It's her fifth double-double of the season, and the seventh time she recorded double-figure rebounds.
Wilmington (11-5 overall, 7-2 OAC) travels to Tiffin to face Heidelberg (6-10 overall, 3-6 OAC) 3 p.m. Saturday. The Fightin' Quakers posted the 64-49 win earlier this season.