BEREA, Ohio – The No. 22 nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team remained undefeated in 2019 as it defeated Heidelberg University in both squads' Ohio Athletic Conference opener in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
BW (5-0, 1-0 OAC), improved to 65-24 in the all-time series against Heidelberg (2-3, 0-1 OAC), including 34 of the last 36 meetings. The Yellow Jackets have now begun their season with a 5-0 record in three of the last four seasons.
BW had three players score in double figures, led by senior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference guard/forward Kara Marshall (Copley/Akron Archbishop Hoban), who scored a team-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting, to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) poured in 15 points, and grabbed five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore All-OAC forward Lilly Edwards (Dublin/Coffman) was a spark plug off the bench for the Yellow Jackets, having also contributed with 12 points, six rebounds and two steals in the victory.
The Student Princes attack was spearheaded by aggressive junior guard Brook Beamer, who recorded game-highs 25 points and five assists, accompanied with six boards and four three-pointers as well.
In the first 3:35 of action, BW was able to push Heidelberg on its heels by jumping out to an initial 9-0 run to start the game. Despite a nine-point effort by the Student Princes' Beamer, and an exchange of baskets for the remainder of first quarter, BW was able to maintain a hold of its nine-point lead entering the second frame. The Yellow Jackets had difficulties from the field in the second quarter as it shot just a mere 26.3 percent for the frame. Heidelberg used this opportunity and a 12-6 run in a six-minute span to narrow the deficit to six headed to halftime.
Beamer continued to keep the Student Princes within striking distance with another eight points in the third quarter. BW's shooting woes carried over to the third, as it once again garnered a 26.3 percent success rate from the field. The Yellow Jackets were clinging on to a dwindled-down two-point lead ahead of the fourth quarter. After an and-one by Heidelberg junior guard Alli Adelsperger to start the final period, the Student Princes grasped onto their first lead of the game. However, Heidelberg's success was short-lived as BW saved its best basketball for the final frame. Fuelled by a 10-point fourth quarter performance by Marshall, the Yellow Jackets stormed back with a 20-5 run over the course of an eight-minute span, to take the commanding lead and secure its fifth straight double-digit marginal victory.
BW returns to the court on Saturday, December 7 when it travels to New Concord for an OAC matchup against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 3:00 p.m.. The Yellow Jackets will return home on Wednesday, December 18 when it hosts Trine (Ind.) University in the first game of a women's and men's non-conference doubleheader at 5:00 p.m.
