By Tim Glon

ADA — Senior Lindsey Black (Urbana/Graham) scored a career-high 17 points to lead No. 24-ranked Ohio Northern to a 76-60 victory over Wilmington in the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening at the ONU Sports Center.

The top-seeded Polar Bears (22-4) advance to Thursday's semifinals and will host either fourth-seeded Otterbein or fifth-seeded Baldwin Wallace on Thursday evening.

The eighth-seeded Quakers end their season with an 11-15 record.

Senior Alexis Kirkbride (Zanesville/Bishop Resecrans) scored 12 points, senior Amy Bullimore (Morrow/Little Miami) added 11 points and sophomore Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) also scored 11 points for ONU.

Wilmington was led by Kelly Noll with 17 points.

The Polar Bears led 21-12 after the first quarter and took a commanding 39-18 lead into intermission.

WC rallied in the third period and pulled within 55-45 with 1:20 left in the period.

But Ohio Northern would go on a 17-2 run to extend the lead to 72-47 with 5:21 left in the game.

"Getting off to a quick start was important for us," ONU head coach Michele Durand said. "I thought Lindsey, Emily and Alexis did a good job of stepping up offensively on a night when Amy was not having a good game. I was also pleased at how we responded with Wilmington got within 10 in the third quarter. It was good to stretch the lead back out."

ONU was 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) from the field, including 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from the 3-point line, while the Quakers were 19-of-54 (35.2 percent) from the field, and 11-of-32 (34.4 percent) from 3-point range.

The Polar Bears won the rebounding battle 39-32.