WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College women's basketball team clinched a berth in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament by defeating John Carroll University (JCU) 70-61 on Senior Day at Fred Raizk Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Quakers earn the No. 5 seed for the upcoming OAC Tournament and will face No. 4 Otterbein University in a quarterfinal on Tuesday evening. Courtesy of a Capital University defeat, the Blue Streaks also qualified for the OAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed and will head to No. 3 Baldwin Wallace University.
"One of our season goals was to finish in the top half of the OAC and position us for tournament play," Head Coach Janel Blankespoor said. "We are now in that position."
After the first five minutes saw both teams knotted at eight apiece, it looked like JCU would be the ones to earn the No. 5 seed as the Blue Streaks went on a 9-0 run over the next four-plus minutes. Kyria Walker ended the quarter with a bucket, however, to keep the Quakers within seven at 17-10. The sophomore then opened the second quarter with an and-one, and two Emma Wright free throws followed to make it a one-score game.
John Carroll, which was looking to avenge a 66-51 defeat at the hands of Wilmington in University Heights earlier this season, again looked to pull away as the Blue Streaks pounded the ball into senior post Kaelyn Underwood and built a double-digit lead (29-19) with four minutes to play in the half. The Quakers answered with eight straight points, but Olivia Guinta closed the half with four straight to give JCU a 33-27 lead at intermission.
Wilmington, which shot just 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) in the first half, connected on 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from the floor in the second half, but still trailed 47-44 after 30 minutes. Interestingly, neither team had made a single three-point basket in the first three quarters, but that was about to change. Jada Pohlen nailed consecutive triples to flip a three-point deficit to a three-point lead, the Quakers' first of the game. The Blue Streaks would stay within a possession or two, but couldn't regain the lead. With the score 57-53 with 4:30 to play, Wilmington went on an 11-2 run that ended the game.
"We came out of halftime with grit, determination and played within ourselves on both ends in the second half," said Blankespoor. "We played strong keeping them off the boards and knocking down free throws."
Both teams made exactly 22 field goals and struggle from distance as Pohlen's two triples represented the only WC long-distance makes of the game. JCU make one triple, just like in the first matchup between the two teams, but it came with 22 seconds to play. The Quakers made 24-of-29 (82.8 percent) from the free throw line and won the battle of the boards 49-36.
Individually, Underwood led all scorers with 20 points while Guinta added a dozen in 11 minutes off the bench. Kennedy Lewis finished with 13 points and seven rebounds to lead Wilmington while Walker (12 points) and Pohlen (11 points) also finished in double figures. Zahrya Bailey added eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while JaKaia Lotz added eight points and seven rebounds.
Wilmington finishes its regular season with a 14-11 overall record and an 8-10 mark in OAC contests. The Quakers' OAC Tournament contest with the Cardinals is slated for a 7 p.m. tip-off.