Denison advanced to its 10th consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference semifinal appearance on Tuesday night, following a 58-43 victory over Ohio Wesleyan from Livingston Gym.
The second-seeded Big Red held its opponent to 20 points in the second half while forcing the Battling Bishops into 25 turnovers that resulted in 22 points for the home team.
The Big Red held a six-point lead at the intermission and OWU came out strong in the early minutes of the second half, tying the game 28-28 after a 3-pointer by Julia Grimsley. That trey would be answered by Denison's Lydia Harlan when Jane Windler found the freshman hiding in the corner. A steal by Serafina Nuzzo and a short baseline jumper by Harlan would give the Big Red a five point lead. The run would continue just second later when Annie-Rae Dura forced one of her career-high eight steals on the night that resulted in a quick two for Nuzzo.
In a flash the Big Red were up seven and the lead would continue to build from there. With 12:56 to play Windler scored two of her game-high 18 points and that put her squad up 44-31. Over a 10 minute stretch in the second half, DU outscored Ohio Wesleyan 17-6. Grimsley would trim the deficit to 12 with 3:32 to play but Windler answered with another bucket down low putting the game on ice.
Windler finished the game 7-of-13 from 18 points and nine rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. Nuzzo added 16 points and seven rebounds while Harlan chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. Dura did most of the dirty work, racking up eight steals, four assists and six rebounds in her 26 minutes of action. In all, DU posted a season-high 19 steals while committing just 13 turnovers.
Denison shot 37 percent from the field compared to 35 percent for OWU. The Bishops held a narrow lead on the glass, 37-36. Tamra Londot paced Ohio Wesleyan with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes. Grimsley added nine points off three, 3-point field goals.
With the win, Denison advances to Friday's NCAC Tournament semifinals in Greencastle, Ind. on the campus of No. 1 seed DePauw University. As the No. 2 seed, Denison will face No. 3 Kenyon College at 6 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 24). The winner advances to the NCAC Championship on Saturday in Greencastle at 7 p.m.