TIFFIN, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University's women's basketball team shook off a slow start to cruise to a 79-65 victory over Heidelberg University on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets have now won their last three games.
With the win, the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 6-3 Ohio Athletic Conference) improved their all-time mark against Heidelberg (1-8, 1-8 OAC) to 67-24 overall. The Yellow Jackets have now won six straight games against the Student Princes.
Reigning OAC Player of the Week, junior Lilly Edwards (Dublin/Coffman), continued her dominant stretch of play, tallying 24 points and 13 rebounds, good for her second straight double-double. Freshman Kira Philpot (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) notched a career-high 16 points and became the first Yellow Jackets freshman to record 15 or more points since Edwards on March 2, 2019. Senior Gabby Garrett (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) added another 11 points to aid the offensive attack.
The Yellow Jackets kept it close in the first quarter, but struggled to make shots and trailed 15-12 after one. Edwards delivered the majority of the offense with six points, but the Yellow Jackets shot 36.4% overall.
The second quarter proved to be a different story for the Yellow Jackets, who shook off the rust in a big way. BW asserted themselves physically, reaching the free throw line 13 times and made 11 of them. Despite Heidelberg growing their lead to a high of eight points in the second, the Yellow Jackets turned on the jets, outscoring Heidelberg 14-4 to end the quarter and taking a 33-31 lead.
The positive momentum from the second quarter finish sparked a blazing hot third quarter. The Yellow Jackets shot 66.7% from the field, outscoring Heidelberg 26-16. Edwards and Philpot continued to assert their presence, with Edwards reaching the 20 point threshold by the end of the quarter. Regan Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) tallied five of her career-high eight points in the quarter to add a spark for the Yellow Jackets offense.
The Yellow Jackets hit cruise control in the fourth quarter, continuing their offensive momentum and taking the fourth quarter 20-18 to earn the victory. Philpot added six more points and BW shot 46.7% to end the game in commanding fashion.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action on Saturday, February 20, for the finale of the home-and-home series against Heidelberg University. The Yellow Jackets will tip off the game in Ursprung Gymnasium at 6:00 p.m.
