BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team had two players with 20-plus point games as the Yellow Jackets outlasted Muskingum University for a 90-83 win in Ohio Athletic Conference action inside Ursprung Gymnasium.

 

BW (11-6, 7-3 OAC) was led by sophomore guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) as she notched a career-high for the second consecutive game, scoring 24 points. Junior All-OAC guard Hannah Fecht (Hilliard/Davidson) also hit the 20-point mark as she tied her career-high with 22 points. Junior Academic All-OAC forward Rachel Womeldorf (Lewis Center/Olentangy) poured in 11 points of her own.

 

Muskingum (6-11, 2-8 OAC) was led by senior guard Olivia Besancon, the OAC's leading scorer, as she hit the 30-point mark for the second time this season, scoring 32 points. Senior guard Alexandra Carson was the Muskies' second leading scorer with 18 points and freshman guard Emily Yeager contributed 14 points of her own.

 

Unlike the previous meeting in December down in New Concord, BW got out to a fast start on offense while the defense forced two turnovers on the Muskies' first three possessions. Although the Yellow Jacket offense was hot, the duo of Carson and Leppla kept Muskingum within striking distance until transfer sophomore guard/forward Mary Schentur (Broadview Heights/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) buried a three-pointer with 3:04 remaining in the quarter to give BW a 23-12 lead. The Yellow Jackets shot 75 percent in the period on 9-of-12 shooting and outrebounded the Muskies 9-3 for a 25-16 lead at the end of the quarter.

 

The BW offense struggled in the second quarter, missing its first seven shots, while Muskingum started to hit from downtown, cutting the lead down to 26-22 with 7:05 left in the half. Fecht finally found the bottom of the net at the 6:27 mark while sophomore guard Tiffany Bentler (North Canton/Hoover) followed that up with a layup on the next possession to put the Yellow Jackets back up by seven points, 31-24. BW built back up to a double-digit advantage and held on for a 45-33 lead at halftime.

 

A couple of treys from Besancon and a layup by Clark to start the second half brought the Muskies within eight points at 49-41 with 7:33 remaining, forcing the Yellow Jackets to call timeout and regroup. BW could find no answer for Besancon as she continued to feel it from deep and Muskingum only trailed 51-46 with 6:56 left in the quarter. BW held a slim lead as each team traded baskets but the Yellow Jackets closed out the period on a 6-0 run, helping them back out to a 67-57 lead.

 

Fecht drained a three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter, giving BW a 70-57 lead. Both teams traded baskets again but, this time, the Yellow Jackets worked around a double-digit lead. A four-point play by Besancon at the 3:29 mark could have been a turning point for the Muskies but Fecht countered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession as BW went back up by eight points, 80-72. Muskingum would not go down quietly as they went off on a 9-3 run and cut the lead down to two points, 83-81, with just 36.5 seconds left. Fecht was clutch from the free throw line down the stretch as the Yellow Jackets hung on for a 90-83 victory.

 

BW will hit the road next week with its first stop being in Tiffin on Wednesday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m. inside Seiberling Gymnasium as the Yellow Jackets look to avenge an earlier loss to the Student Princes.