PHOTOS (to come)
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College women's basketball team more than doubled up the University of Mount Union in paint scoring as the Quakers defeated the Purple Raiders 72-53 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) from Fred Raizk Arena on Saturday.
The first quarter was a high-scoring affair as the Purple Raiders made 7-of-14 (50.0 percent) from the field and the Quakers 9-of-19 (47.4 percent). Mount Union would led by as many as five (17-12) on a Hailey Haywood layup with two minutes to play in the quarter, but four straight points from Jada Pohlen had WC trailing by just a point - 22-21 - after one quarter.
After the offensive first quarter, neither team scored a point for the first three minutes of the second. Wilmington didn't allow a field goal for the first five minutes and took a 29-23 lead as Marisa Seiler intercepted a pass and found Zahrya Bailey in transition for a layup to cap an 8-1 run. The hosts allowed just seven points in the second quarter and scored 16 to lead 37-29 at the intermission.
"We didn't come out with a disciplined focus and intensity in the first quarter, especially on the defensive end," Head Coach Janel Blankespoor said. "We seemed to lock in better after that quarter."
Wilmington opened the second half on an 11-3 run to build a 48-32 advantage, but it was Mount Union's turn to lock up defensively. The Quakers would not score for five minutes, and two Haywood free throws had the Purple Raiders looking to head into the fourth quarter trailing by single digits. Bailey answered with a layup, however, and after the visitors missed with 10 seconds left, Bekah Bowser found Pohlen for a transition triple that beat the buzzer.
Trailing 53-40, Mount Union cut the deficit to seven points by opening the final quarter on an 8-2 run, but after a timeout from Blankespoor, Kennedy Lewis scored through a foul and completed the three-point play with a free throw. That started a 17-2 run for Wilmington that effectively ended the game.
The Quakers finished the game 28-of-63 (44.4 percent) from the field compared to just 17-of-66 (25.8 percent) for the Purple Raiders. Both teams struggled from distance as both teams shot below 25 percent. Mount Union made two more throws (15-13) on one less attempt and held a slim 45-44 rebounding edge. Both teams were whistled for 18 fouls.
Bailey led all scorers with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and four steals in 33 minutes off the bench. Lewis turned in a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Seiler and Pohlen also scored in double figures. Haywood led Mount Union with 16 points in defeat.
"I hope that Z keeps finding her rhythm like she has in a couple games recently," said Blankespoor. "I appreciate her willingness to be plugged in wherever we need her."
Wilmington (13-8, 7-7 OAC), which swept the series with Mount Union for the second time in over a decade, heads to Muskingum University for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday.
