WOOSTER, Ohio – Had it not been for a poor shooting performance in the first half, The College of Wooster may have come much closer to knocking off nationally-ranked Denison University, as the Fighting Scots outscored the Big Red 31-29 in the second half, including an 8-0 run during a six-minute stretch, but eventually fell 61-46 Saturday afternoon in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Timken Gymnasium.
The Big Red (21-0, 10-0 NCAC), ranked No. 9 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and No. 11 in the D3hoops.com poll, couldn't pull away from Wooster (2-18, 0-10 NCAC) early on, as Jessica Wingen scored six of her 12 points in the opening moments to tie the game 8-8. Over the next nine minutes, Denison shut down Wooster en route to a 15-0 scoring run, or 23-8 lead, and the Scots trailed 32-15 at halftime.
The second half was a much closer contest, as Wooster improved on its 6-for-24 (25 percent) first half shooting effort, by connecting on 12-for-27 (44.4 percent). Leading the way was Kristen Schwartz, who went 5-for-5 in the second stanza, on her way to a team-high 14 points. Schwartz delivered two baskets during Wooster's above-mentioned 8-0 run, both times using crafty footwork in the paint to beat the defense.
Having made eight and 10 3-pointers in its last two games, the Scots were just 1-for-8 in this contest. Wooster did keep its turnovers in check for the third-straight game, though, losing the ball just 16 times compared to Denison's 13.
Denison won the battle under the glass, with 43 rebounds to Wooster's 33, including 20 offensive boards which led to 14 second-chance points. Nicole Coggins and Jessica Grzybowski tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds each.
Leading Wooster was Schwartz with 14 points, six boards, and three blocks, while fellow post player Wingen had 12, six, and one. Keshia Butler was next in line statistically, with six points and three assists.
For Denison, Shaina Kaiser had a game-high 18 tallies, many of which came on dishes from Serafina Nuzzo, who had eight points and eight assists.
Next up, Wooster will visit Oberlin College (7-13, 2-7 NCAC) Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tipoff.