BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team held off a fourth-quarter Wilmington College comeback for an 84-74 Ohio Athletic Conference victory inside Ursprung Gymnasium.

Freshman forward Lilly Edwards (Dublin/Coffman) led BW (11-4, 5-3 OAC) in the win with 20 points off the bench, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Gabby Garrett (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) also contributed a career high 16 points off the bench. Junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) and junior Academic All-OAC guard/forward Mary Schentur (Broadview Heights/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) added 12 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the double-digit scorers. Sophomore forward Sydney Diedrich (Chardon/Gilmour Academy) was the leading rebounder for the second straight game as she pulled down seven boards.

Senior guard Mackenzie Campbell and sophomore guard McKayla Binkley each chipped in 17 points apiece for Wilmington (7-8, 2-6 OAC). Freshman guard Kennedy Lewis posted 11 points as well.

Almost two minutes of action passed without a made field goal until senior Academic All-OAC forward Rachel Womeldorf (Lewis Center/Olentangy) knocked down a jumper to open up the game's scoring. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jacket defense held Wilmington scoreless for the first 3:40 of the game. Although neither team's shots were falling easily in the first quarter, Edwards proved to be a bright spot as was active around the basket, drawing three total fouls and making all four of her free throw attempts. Freshman guard Sydney Snyder (Kirtland) and Schentur both hit from beyond the arc late in the period with Schentur beating the buzzer for a 16-6 Yellow Jacket lead.

Both teams started to find an offensive rhythm in the second quarter while BW especially started to shoot well from the three-point line. Garrett knocked down two treys while Diedrich also hit from downtown to give the Yellow Jackets a 27-15 lead with 6:21 left on the clock. The Quakers remained within a few possessions of the lead until BW finished off the half on a 9-2 run, capped off by another Schentur buzzer-beater for a 42-28 halftime score.

Junior Academic All-OAC guard Kasey Hughes (Springboro) got the Yellow Jackets off to a hot start in the third quarter as she drained her first three-pointer of the game. BW continued to shoot well from deep and opened a 20-point lead as Schentur, junior Academic All-OAC guard/forward Kara Marshall (Copley/Archbishop Hoban) and Garrett all hit three-pointers in the period.

Wilmington was not going down without a fight, starting the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run. Applying a full-court press and forcing Yellow Jacket turnovers on defense, the Quakers trimmed the lead down to 12 points at 68-56 with 7:11 remaining. A Garrett three-pointer at the 5:10 mark seemed to put the halt on any Wilmington momentum but the Quakers remained resilient and chipped away at the lead until they only trailed by six points, 76-70, with 1:27 left. Schill and Schentur were clutch from the free throw line down the stretch, however, as they made all eight of their attempts to seal the victory.

BW will host OAC-leading and crosstown rival John Carroll University on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. inside Ursprung Gymnasium.