By: Athletic Communications Student Assistant Joe Meyer '24
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The No. 12 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team hit the road for the first time this season to take on Wittenberg University inside the Pam Evans Smith Arena. The Yellow Jackets continued their hot start with a 56-43 victory over the Tigers.
BW (3-0) was led by sophomore guard Emily Irwin's (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial) game-high 14 points and sophomore forward Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg), as she recorded 11 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore forward Caely Ressler (Napoleon) led the Yellow Jackets on the boards with a game-high 8 rebounds and added 6 points. Five Yellow Jackets finished the game with at least five points and five rebounds in an all-around team effort.
Wittenberg (3-1) was led by freshman forward Hayln Hiles (14 points, 6 rebounds) and junior forward Jade Simpson (11 points, 5 rebounds).
First Half
- After a back-and-forth start, senior all-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic all-OAC guard Megan Hensel (Upper Sandusky) buried a corner three to give BW a 14-10 lead with 3:12 to play in the first quarter.
- Hensel's driving layup with 7:27 left in the half extended the lead to eight (21-13), forcing a Wittenberg timeout.
- Sylvie Sonneman (Jamestown/Greenview) drilled a three-pointer with 2:28 left in the half to stop a Wittenberg run and put the Yellow Jackets up 26-17.
- BW rode strong defense to a 31-23 halftime advantage, at one point holding the Tigers to one field goal over an eleven-minute stretch, and a 33% overall clip from the field.
Second Half
- With 4:02 left in the third, Irwin knocked down a deep three to extend the BW lead to double-digits (38-28).
- Wittenberg responded with a 10-0 scoring run to tie the game at 38.
- Senior guard Izzy Andrews (Ann Arbor, Mich./Rudolf Steiner) drove coast-to-coast and hit a tough layup as time expired in the third quarter to put the Yellow Jackets up 42-38.
- After Wittenberg tied the game late in the third quarter, BW outscored the Tigers 14-0 over the next 4:28 to take a 52-38 lead.
- The BW defense controlled the fourth quarter, holding Wittenberg to just five fourth-quarter points to close out the 56-43 road win.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, November 19, for a matchup against Hanover (Ind.) College on day two of the Wittenberg Invitational. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. inside the Pam Evans Smith Arena.
