OBERLIN, Ohio – With the exception of trailing 2-0 following the opening bucket of the game, the Allegheny College women's basketball team lead the rest of the way out cruising to a pivotal 71-45 road win over Oberlin College Saturday afternoon.
The Gators (9-6, 3-2 NCAC) have bounced back nicely with two convincing conference wins after losing their previous two league games. In doing so, they keep themselves in contention for a NCAC regular season crown as they hit the stretch run with key conference games still ahead.
One of the most glaring stats that can be attributed to the recent turnaround is the dominance on both sides of the glass for the Gators. For the second consecutive game they have out-rebounded their opponent by at least 15. Against Hiram on Wednesday, they won the battle on the boards by 19, and in this afternoon's contest, the team was 16 rebounds better than the Yeowomen (6-10, 1-4 NCAC).
The Gators shot well as a team finishing 30-of-69 (43.5%) from the floor and a solid 37% (7-of-19) from long range. On the other side of the court, the Yeowomen were plagued by a blisteringly cold night of shooting, particularly in the first half where they shot just 15.4% on 4-of-26 shooting. They were able to heat up considerably in the second half shooting 42% (13-of-31), but the lengthy lead the Gators built in the first half was too much to overcome.
Four players reached double figures for the Gators, highlighted by the second consecutive (third in her last four) double-double effort from sophomore Daryl Ford who poured in 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Jill Gregory paced the team and led all scorers with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Sophomore Ann Ryan, making her second consecutive start, chipped in 12 points, while rookie Saddie Gravatt added 13 points off the bench and knocked down a game-high three treys.
The Gators look to keep the momentum going as they head home to host the College of Wooster in a mid-week game on Wednesday at the David V. Wise Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm, and the game can be followed live online through the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/allegheny/wbball/index.htm