Posted: Feb 01, 2014
BEREA, Ohio – Four Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball players, including four starters, scored in double figures as the Yellow Jackets defeated Otterbein University, 88-65, in an Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for the Cure game in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
BW (14-5, 9-3 OAC) was led by junior All-OAC guard Audrey Smolik (Strongsville) with 14 points. Senior All-OAC guard/forward Jessica Lairson (Louisville) and junior guard Shari Mangas (Leipsic) each scored 12 points. Senior center Lexi Rohrbach (Tiffin/Columbian) contributed 11. Lairson moved into 11th place on the all-time scoring list and needs 21 more points to move into 10th place with 1,048 career-points.
Otterbein (7-12, 3-9 OAC) was led junior guard Mary Corbett with a game-high 16 points and freshman forward Taylor Pifher added 14.
After the game was tied at 4-4, the Yellow Jackets went on a 9-2 run to take an 13-6 lead when sophomore center Sam Hamar (Galion) hit a jumper in the paint with 14:42 remaining. The Cardinals used a 4-1 run of their own to cut the lead down to 14-10 on a jumper Pifher at the 13:11 mark.
BW responded with an 11-4 run to push the lead to 25-14 on a jumper by sophomore guard Janaya Feaster (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) with 8:35 remaining. Otterbein answered right back with a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 29-23 when junior point guard Chelsea Reed hit a runner in the lane at 3:29. The Yellow Jackets closed the half out on an 8-3 run to lead 37-26 at the intermission.
The teams opened the second half exchanging baskets as the Cardinals cut the lead down to seven points at 46-39 when Pifher scored on a layup at 14:54. BW responded with an 8-2 run to push the lead to 54-41 on a three-pointer by freshman guard Megan McKean (Jeromesville/Northwestern) with 13:42 remaining.
The Yellow Jackets closed the game by outscoring Otterbein, 34-24, to win the season series.
BW is back in action on Wednesday, February 5 when it travels to Alliance to play the University of Mount Union in the McPherson Academic & Athletic Complex at 7:30 p.m. The next home game is on Saturday, February 8 when BW hosts Wilmington College in the Ursprung Gymnasium at 3 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 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.
