By: Athletic Communications Student-Assistant Paige Phillips '23
BEREA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team defeated Ohio Northern University in an Ohio Athletic Conference and Play 4 Kay game by a final score of 61-54 in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
The Play 4 Game, that was established in 2007 raises funds for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in the fight for finding an answer against all cancers affecting women. If you would like to support the BW women's basketball team its efforts, please visit https://support.kayyow.com/team/343769 to make a donation.
The Yellow Jackets (8-3, 8-3 OAC) dressed in pink jerseys in honor of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund extended its win streak to five games and saw two players score in double figures. Junior All-OAC forward Lilly Edwards (Dublin/Coffman) led the scoring with a career-highs of 27 points and 16 rebounds. Junior Academic All-OAC guard Sydney Snyder (Kirtland) was a key contributor recording 11 points, two assists, and three rebounds.
Ohio Northern (4-7,4-7 OAC) also had two players score in double digits led by junior forward Kate lliff who scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Sophomore guard Brynn Serbin added 13 points to the scoreboard.
In the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 9-2 lead on a jumper by freshman forward Kara Philpot (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) at the 5:59 mark. The Polar Bears responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to 9-7 on a pair of free throws by Serbin at 3:45. BW closed the opening stanza on a 6-2 run to take a 15-9 lead into the quarter break.
Both teams were held scoreless for the first 4:25 of the second quarter before Edwards hit two from the charity stripe at the 5:35 mark. Ohio Northern cut the lead down to 21-16 when Emily Brock converted the traditional three-point play at 2:58. The Yellow Jackets closed the opening half on a 7-3 run to take the 28-19 lead into the intermission.
The Polar Bears began the second half on a 14-4 run to take their first lead of the game at 33-32 on a pair of free throws by Serbin at the 4:25 mark. BW responded with an 8-3 run to take a 40-36 lead when junior forward Megan Scheibelhut (Avon Lake/Elyria Catholic) knocked down from the charity stripe at 1:48. Ohio Northern cut the back down to two points at 40-38 on a pair of free throws from Kristen Luersman at 1:35. The Yellow Jackets closed the third period out on a 5-2 run to secure the 45-40 lead after three quarters of play.
The fourth quarter started out much the same as the third quarter did for the Polar Bears as they used a 7-0 run to take a 47-45 lead on a pair of free throws by Lexi Jacobs at the 8:17 mark. BW put the game away with a 14-2 run to take a 59-49 lead when sophomore guard Izzy Andrews (Ann Arbor, Mich./Rudolf Steiner) split a pair of free throws at 1:44. Ohio Northern outscored the Yellow Jackets 5-2 the remainder of the game.
BW closes out the 2021 regular season on Saturday, February 27 when it travels to Ada for the final game of the home-and-home weekend series with Ohio Northern in the ONU Sports Center at 6 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets open up OAC Tournament action on Tuesday, March 2 with a quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. The semifinals will be hosted on the campuses of the highest remaining seed on March 4 at 7 p.m. and the tournament championship game will be contested on the campus of the highest remaining seed on March 6 at 3 p.m.
