WAVERLY, Iowa – The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team defeated Washington (Mo.) University by a final score of 72-60 in the Wartburg (Iowa) College Holiday Tournament Consolation Game in the Waverly Sports & Wellness Center.
In its first matchup since the 1999-2000 season and second overall, BW (9-1) improved its all-time record against Washington-St. Louis (7-4) to 1-1. The Yellow Jackets also managed to salvage the final game of their Wartburg Holiday Tournament experience, having lost their first game one day ago against host institution, and No. 7 nationally-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) College. Wartburg will compete against No. 11 University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse in the championship game today at 4:00 p.m.
Senior All-OAC guard/forward Hannah Fecht (Hilliard/Davidson) was named to the Wartburg Holiday All-Tournament team, after accumulating two-game averages of 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, to go along with 41.7 percent three-point shooting and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
The BW offense was led by four scorers in double-figures. Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Riley Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) scored a game-high 20 points, to go along with two rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Providing a spark off the bench was junior forward Sydney Diedrich (Chardon/Gilmour Academy), who poured in a season-high 15 points, as well as four rebounds, two steals, and four three-pointers. Fecht also garnered her seventh career double-double, and the Yellow Jackets' first of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards in the victory.
The Bears attack was led by freshman forward Rachel Mahler, who scored a game-high 20 points and collected a team-high eight rebounds in the defeat.
BW jumped out to a tremendous start, scoring the game's first nine points and a seizing a 13-2 run. The Yellow Jackets also applied some stifling defense in the first quarter, limiting Washington-St. Louis to just eight points and 13.3 percent shooting from the field. The first period of play was also capped off by a 10-1 run by BW. The momentum swung in the second quarter despite a relatively consistent exchange of baskets. The Yellow Jackets only made one field goal in the entire second frame, and had to rely on a perfect 7-7 free throw shooting to retain its seven-point lead at halftime.
The Bears continued to jab away at BW's lead into the third quarter, jumping out to a 13-6 run to begin the second half and nodding up the score for the first time in the game. Facing adversity, Diedrich was able to hit consecutive two crucial three-pointers near the end of the third period to sway the momentum back in the Yellow Jackets' favor. BW surged to 13-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and obtain a sizeable lead. Thanks to a solid 18-22 performance at the free throw line, and a combined 14 points from Fecht and senior Academic All-OAC guard/forward Kara Marshall, the Yellow Jackets were able to stave off any potential Washington-St. Louis comeback in the final frame, and secure the double-digit marginal victory.
BW returns to the court on Saturday, January 4 for an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup against Capital University at 3:00 p.m. in Urpsrung Gymnasium.
