BEREA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball was defeated by 14th-nationally ranked and Ohio Athletic Conference leader Ohio Northern University by a final score of 60-55 in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center. 

BW (11-3, 4-3 OAC) had two players score in double figures led by senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC point guard Mackenzie Colombo (Strasburg) and sophomore guard Hannah Fecht (Hilliard/Davidson) as each scored 10 points.  Senior All-OAC forward Clara Lemmon (Canton/Louisville) grabbed a game-high tying six rebounds and chipped in six points. 

Ohio Northern (14-0, 7-0 OAC) had three starters score in double figures led by senior All-OAC guard Britt Lauck as she scored a game-high 22 points.  Junior All-OAC forward Amy Bullimore tallied 14 points while sophomore guard Jenna Dirksen contributed 11 points.  Junior Academic All-OAC guard Courtney Cramer grabbed a game-high tying six rebounds. 

The Polar Bears jumped out to a 10-5 advantage when Dirksen converted the traditional three-point play at the 5:41. The Polar Bears outscore the Yellow Jackets by a 4-2 count the remainder of the first quarter and led 14-7. 

Ohio Northern opened the second quarter on a 9-7 run to take a 23-14 lead on a pair of Bullimore free throws at the 6:53 mark.  BW responded with a 7-0 run to cut the lead down to 23-21 when Fecht hit a pair from the charity stripe at 4:37. The Polar Bears answered back with a 5-0 run to take a 28-21 lead on a three-pointer by Dirksen at the 2:12 mark.   The Yellow Jackets got a jumper from junior forward Megan Schubert (Defiance/Ayersville) and a pair of free throws from junior Academic All-OAC guard Katie Smith (Fairview Park/Fairview) down the stretch but trailed 28-25 at the intermission. 

BW opened the second half on a 4-0 run to regain the lead for the first time since 3-2 when Colombo knocked down a pair of free throws to make the score 29-28 at the 8:18 mark.  The Polar Bears quickly responded with a 9-4 run to take a 37-33 lead when Lindsay Black hit both shots from the free throw line at 3:10. The Yellow Jackets cut the lead down to 43-41 after freshman guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Lake/Elyria Catholic) took a charge with 14 seconds left and then scored on a layup as time expired in the third quarter. 

BW started the final quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 47-45 lead when Colombo buried a triple from the corner at the 6:52 mark.  The Yellow Jackets held their final lead at 50-47 when Fecht knocked down a trey with 3:20 remaining.  Ohio Northern closed the game on a 13-5 run to secure the win.

BW is back in action on Friday, January 13 when it travels to Westerville for an OAC game against Otterbein University in the Rike Center at 7:30 p.m.   The Yellow Jackets return home to the friendly confines of the Ursprung Gym on Wednesday, January 18 when they host an OAC game against cross-town rival John Carroll University at 7:30 p.m.