DELAWARE, Ohio – Senior guard Evy Iacono (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) scored a game high-tying 21 points as the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team defeated host Ohio Wesleyan University, 55-51, on the opening night of the 2012 Bishop Classic/Hoops For Hope inside Branch Rickey Arena.
The Spartans improve to 6-3 overall and will conclude the weekend in Delaware tomorrow afternoon versus Westminster College (Mo.) at 1:00 p.m. With the loss, the Battling Bishops dip to 1-10.
In addition to Iacono, senior center Emily Mueller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) totaled 10 points and five rebounds, while sophomore forward Erin Reynolds (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) scored five points with a game high-tying eight boards. Additionally, sophomore forward Brooke Orcutt (Morrison, Colo./Dakota Ridge) tacked on six points and eight caroms.
With the score tied at six early on in the first half, the Spartans reeled off a 7-0 run and led 13-6 when freshman forward Laura Mummey (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) hit a layup at the 11:19 mark. OWU came back briefly with five straight and pulled to within two at 8:27, but the visitors answered with a 9-0 spurt that culminated in a short jumper by Mueller, making the score 22-11 with 4:04 left before the half.
That 11-point lead held going into the locker room as junior forward Julie Mooney (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) hit a fast-break bucket with 21 seconds left on the clock to make the score 27-16.
In the second, Case scored the opening five and led by 16, 32-16, after Iacono hit a three-pointer with 18:38 left to play. The Spartan lead reached as many as 17 when Reynolds completed a three-point play to make the score 37-20 at 15:04, but the Battling Bishops were able to chip away with a 7-0 run and get to within 10 with two Julia Grimsley free throws at 12:52. After Case built its lead back above double digits, OWU mounted another comeback and pulled within four, 44-40, as Tamra Londot capped a 7-0 run with a layup at 5:41.
The two sides traded baskets over the next few minutes before the hosts narrowed the gap to three on three separate occasions including 54-51 on a lay-up from Sarah McQuade with 22 ticks remaining. However, Iacono was subsequently fouled and connected on 1-of-2 charity tosses to seal the four-point road victory.
Following tomorrow's game with Westminster, the Spartans conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule this Wednesday, January 2 versus Heidelberg University at 6:00 p.m. inside Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.