BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team got back to its winning ways by sweeping the season series against Ohio Athletic Conference and crosstown rival John Carroll University 80-63 in the team's 2018 Play4Kay Game inside Ursprung Gymnasium. 

 

Junior Academic All-OAC forward Rachel Womeldorf (Lewis Center/Olentangy) led BW (13-9, 9-6 OAC) as she tied her career-high of 16 points. Junior All-OAC guard Hannah Fecht (Hilliard/Davidson) chipped in 14 points while sophomore guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) contributed 12 points of her own. Freshman forward Sydney Diedrich (Chardon/Gilmour Academy) grabbed a career-high 10 boards as she led the rebounding effort. 

 

Freshman guard/forward Nicole Heffington led John Carroll (5-17, 3-12 OAC) as she had a game-high 25 points. Junior forward Chelbi Graham also hit double figures with 10 points. 

 

The first quarter was tightly contested as both teams struggled with costly fouls and turnovers to start. Sarah Sprecher nailed a three-pointer with just under a minute remaining to give JCU a 13-9 lead but Womeldorf finished off the period on a personal 4-0 run to tie the game at 13-13 with 40 seconds left. Schill drained a buzzer-beating trey as BW led 16-14 going into the second quarter. 

 

Eight points from Fecht helped the BW offense out to a 27-22 lead at the 4:26 mark. Behind Fecht, the offense started rolling and the defense locked down, only allowing 11 Blue Streak points in the quarter, as BW led 34-25 at halftime. 

 

The Yellow Jackets took their first double-digit lead of the game when Schill hit two free-throws to open the second half and just continued to roll from there. BW saw well rounded offensive production as the Yellow Jackets put up 27 points in the quarter, capped off by a three-pointer by senior Academic All-OAC guard Katie Smith (Fairview Park/Fairview) as she beat the buzzer to give her team a 61-44 lead at the end of the third. 

 

Each team went basket for basket in the fourth quarter but John Carroll could not chip away at that deficit. BW held on for the 17-point victory. 

 

BW is back in action when the Yellow Jackets take a trip down to Bexley for an OAC game with Capital University on Saturday, February 10, at 3 p.m. inside the Capital Center.

 

To make a donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, please check out the BW team fundraising page HERE.