WESTERVILLE, OHIO --  Junior forward Jessica Lairson (Louisville) had team-highs of 11 points and seven rebounds as the Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team fell to host Otterbein University, 77-48, in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in the Rike Center.

With its loss, BW fell to 10-9 overall and 5-7 in the OAC and got swept in the season series against the Cardinals. With its win, Otterbein improves to 16-3 overall and 10-2 in the OAC and has lost three straight games.
 
In addition to Lairson for BW, senior forward Jessica Carpenter (North Canton/ Hoover) had eight points and two assists.  The Cardinals were led by senior All-OAC forward Hannah Day with 21 points and nine rebounds.  In addition to Day for Otterbein, senior forward Rachel Snedeker had 16, and sophomore guards Madi Miller and Chelsea Reed had 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Otterbein got off to an early, 5-0 lead at the 18:20 mark when Day made a three-pointer. After BW made it 5-2, the Cardinal's Reed pushed the lead to 8-2 when she made a trey at 17:52. The Yellow Jackets scored five straight points to make it 8-7 when senior two-time All-OAC forward Jessica Carpenter (North Canton/ Hoover) canned a triple at 17:15. But Otterbein came right back with a 9-0 run to take a 17-7 lead at 14:42 when Miller made a steal and then drove the length of the court for a layup.

BW freshman guard Allyson Helleis (Rocky River) ended the run with a basket at 14:09 and after a Cardinal basket, she canned a three-pointer to cut the Cardinal lead to 19-12 at 12:55. Undaunted, Otterbein went on a 10-4 run to produce a 29-16 lead at 10:44 when Day canned her fourth three-pointer of the first stanza. But BW came back with a 7-1 run to cut the lead to 30-23 at 7:22 when senior guard Amber Boyd (Middleburg Heights/ Regina) made a three-pointer.

Otterbein then took over the game by outscoring BW 17-5 to build a 19-point bulge at 47-28 with 36 seconds before halftime when Day made a layup, was fouled and made a traditional three-point play, her fifth of the stanza. BW's Lairson made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds left, and the Yellow Jackets trailed 47029 at the intermission.

In the second half, Otterbein gained a 21-point lead at 54-33 with 14:14 left when Miller made a layup. BW went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-41 with 12:00 left when Lairson made a jump shot. After Otterbein scored four straight points to lead by 17 at 58-41, BW again cut it back to 13 at 58-45 at 7:31 when sophomore guard Shari Mangas (Leipsic) made a jumper.

Otterbein then went on a 9-0 run to build a 22-point bulge at 67-45 with 4:13 left when Reed canned a triple. The Cardinals led by as many as 29 with the final score.

With her one assist today, senior four-year starting point guard Rachel Rossman  (Olmsted Falls), who started her 99th consecutive game, now has 332 career assists and ranks fourth all-time in BW school history. She needs 14 more assists to surpass Nikki Altenweg (2002-2006), who had 356 career assists, and move into third place.

BW is back in action on Wednesday, January 30 when it hosts 23rd-ranked the University of Mount Union in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea at 7:30 p.m. That game is designated at the "Hoops for the Cure" Game to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer.  All fans are asked to please wear pink.  Fans can listen to that game locally on campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, and via the internet at www.bwyellowjackets.com.

On Saturday, February 16, the BW women and men host OAC-rival Muskingum University in a doubleheader in Berea. The twinbill will be taped by S&S Video Productions and televised by regional cable TV network SportsTime Ohio.  The women's game will air on Saturday night at 11:00 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 18 at 5:00 a.m. The men's game will air on Saturday night at 9:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and Monday at 7:00 a.m.  BW has televised more of its athletics events on regional cable television than any other small college in the country.

FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.