WILMINGTON, Ohio - After a high-scoring first half, Ohio Northern University pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Wilmington College women's basketball team 74-66 in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contest at Fred Raizk Arena on Thursday evening.
Both teams shot the ball north of 55 percent in a first half that featured 84 combined points. The Quakers took their largest lead of the game (15-8) on consecutive baskets from Marisa Seiler and Zahrya Bailey midway through the first quarter. The Polar Bears, ranked No. 18 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, scored the quarter's final six points that included a Brooke Allen basket that just beat the buzzer.
In the second quarter, it was ONU's turn to go up seven as a Layla Dials basket made the score 35-28 with 4:38 remaining in the half. A three-point from Cassidy Lovett, who had 11 points in the first half, pulled the hosts within a possession with under a minute to play. With time winding down, Bailey intercepted a Dials pass and was fouled. The senior made 1-of-2 free throws to make the halftime score 43-41.
The Polar Bears, who entered the game surrendering 51 points per game, allowed just a dozen points in the third quarter and scored 18 of their own to build a 61-53 advantage. A 7-0 run from ONU to open the final 10 minutes gave the visitors their biggest margin of the game at 68-53. The Quakers didn't give up, however and turned over ONU five times in the final quarter. That led to a Kennedy Lewis layup pulling the hosts within five (71-66) with 90 seconds left. Wilmington elected to play defense and not foul, but a Dials triple with a second on the shot clock sealed the game.
ONU shot 31-of-56 (55.4 percent) for the game and had a 44-28 edge in points in the paint. The Polar Bears also won the rebounding battle by a slim 30-27 margin. Wilmington also shot the ball well, converting 25-of-57 field goals for 43.9 percent along with 11 steals. Both teams made exactly six triples.
Individually, Allen led all scorers with 16 points and seven rebounds while Brynn Serbin and Dials both chipped in 13 points for ONU. Bailey scored 15 off the bench including 4-of-4 from three-point range for Wilmington while Lovett had 11 points.
Wilmington (10-8, 4-7 OAC) will try to snap a three-game losing skid on Saturday with a trip to Heidelberg University. Tip-off from Seiberling Gymnasium is scheduled for 4 p.m.
