BEREA, OHIO -- Senior guard Jessica Butzer (Orrville) scored a game- and career-high 24 points as the Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team defeated the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), 74-67, tonight (Tuesday, December 30, 2008) in a non-league game at the Texas Challenge at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Yesterday, B-W beat host Trinity, 72-57, in its first game of the tourney.
In addition to Butzer for B-W, junior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference center Ariel Brough (Powell/ Olentangy Liberty) scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and sophomore guard Amanda Schroeder (Columbus Grove) poured in 10 points. Mary Hardin-Baylor was led by junior forward Kellie Thomas and junior guard Stacie Urbina with 17 points each.
With its win, B-W improves to 6-5 overall. With its loss, Mary Hardin-Baylor is now 4-4 overall.
In the first half, B-W opened with a 6-0 lead when senior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference point guard Rachael Quiring (Brunswick/ Parma Heights Holy Name) made a fastbreak jump shot at the 18:57 mark. Mary Hardin-Baylor countered with a 17-0 run and led 17-6 when Thomas made a jumper in the lane at the 11:37 mark.
The Yellow Jackets then went on a 19-8 run of their own to tie the game at 25-25 at the 5:32 mark when freshman forward Mariah Strayer (Bellevue) made a layup. Undaunted, the Crusaders went on an 8-0 run to lead 33-25 with 1:34 left when junior forward Kallie White canned a fastbreak jumper. The Crusaders maintained their eight-point lead into the intermission and led 35-27.
In the second half, Mary Hardin-Baylor extended its lead to 11 points at 42-31 when White scored on a fastbreak layup at the 17:52 mark. Over the next 4:19, Butzer spurred B-W on a 12-1 run to tie the game at 43-43 at the 14:03 mark, then gave the Yellow Jackets a 45-43 lead at the 13:33 mark by connecting on four consecutive free throws. During the run, Butzer scored 10 of B-W's 12 points.
Following eight lead changes and eight ties, the Jackets regained the lead for good at 67-65 with 1:07 left when Quiring connected on a three-pointer. The lead was extended to five points at 70-65 when Butzer canned a jumper in the paint, was fouled, then made her free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play. The win was sealed when the Crusaders were forced to foul with :21 seconds left and B-W made four of its last six free throws to give the Jackets a 74-67 victory.
The Jackets resume Ohio Athletic Conference play on Saturday, January 3, 2009 when they travel to Tiffin, Ohio to play Heidelberg College at 3:00 p.m.
Media and fans are reminded that two more B-W men's basketball games will be televised by SportsTime Ohio (www.sportstimeohio.com). They are the January 17, 2009 home game versus Muskingum College at 3:00 p.m. and its February 18 contest at cross-town rival John Carroll University at 7:30 p.m.
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 e-mail at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
