BEREA, Ohio – The No. 12 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team hosted the No. 2 nationally ranked Trine (Ind.) University for a non-conference game and the 2022-23 season and home opener in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center. The Yellow Jackets surged past the Thunder to earn the double overtime win by a final score of 75-70.
BW (1-0) was led by sophomore forward Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg) as posted a double-double with a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Vaillant shot 8-14 from the floor. Sophomore guard Caely Ressler (Napoleon) was crucial down the stretch and finished the game with 12 points, going 6-8 from the charity stripe and grabbed four rebounds. Sophomore guard Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial) also hit double-digits, totaling 10 points.
Trine (1-1) was led by sophomore guard Sierra Hinds as she totaled 17 points and shot 3-5 from range and had seven points in the two overtimes.
First Half
- After a 11-7 lead after the first quarter by Trine, senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Megan Hensel (Upper Sandusky) knocked down a shot from range to bring the game within one point to start the second
- BW grabbed a 19-15 advantage at the 5:35 mark in the second after a three-pointer and a driving layup by junior guard Carolyn Wochele (Mentor)
- The Yellow Jackets led by as much as four points in the first half before the Thunder stormed back to tie the game at 25-25
- A made layup by Trine with 1:18 left on the clock was the last bucket of the first half (27-25 TU)
Second Half
- The second half was kicked off with a layup by Vaillant, adding to her eight first-half points
- With the score tied 33-33 in the third quarter, Trine went on an 8-0 run and knocked down a last-second three to go up 41-33 with 10 minutes left in regulation
- BW jumpstarted the fourth quarter with a made shot from range by sophomore guard Alek Johnson (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area) and an old-fashioned three-point play by Vaillant to close the Trine lead to four points
- With the Thunder leading by seven with five minutes left, a three by Wochele started a 7-1 run by the Yellow Jackets, closing the game to one point (49-48 Trine)
- Trine had a chance to grab the lead with two free throws with :13 left, but two misses gave BW had a chance at a game-winning shot but missed, sending the game to overtime
Overtime
- The first extra five minutes were deadlocked as both teams were scoreless until Vaillant made a layup with 2:44 left
- BW went up five points and maintained the lead until back-to-back three-point possessions by the Thunder tied the game at 61-61 and forced another overtime
- The Yellow Jackets held the Thunder scoreless for three minutes in the second overtime while Ressler and senior Academic All-OAC guard Izzy Andrews (Ann Arbor, Mich./Rudolf Steiner) knocked down two threes
- Despite the Thunder hitting two more threes at the end of the second overtime, clutch free throws by Johnson and Ressler clinched the 75-70 win over Trine
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Monday, November 14 as they host crosstown opponent Case Western Reserve University for a non-conference game. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.