MEADVILLE, Pa. – A pair of career-best performances and a double-double weren't enough for the Allegheny College women's basketball team this afternoon as it dropped an North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contest to Ohio Wesleyan University, 88-82.
Allegheny (8-7, 3-3 NCAC) received a career-high amount of points from freshmen
Delaney Arbore and
Olivia Barkley, who had 20 and 17, respectively. A third Gator, senior forward
Ifeyinwa Uwazie, posted a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds (10 offensive), while classmate
Emma Pellicano gave Allegheny four players in double-figures with 10 points.
Arbore and Barkley both shot 7-for-12 from the field, with the former burying four three-pointers to the latter's three. The guard out of North Huntingdon, Pa. also made two shots from the chalk to complete the 20-point performance.
Ohio Wesleyan (3-11, 2-3 NCAC) was paced by Megan Kuether and Taylor Dickson, who combined for 67 of the Bishops' 88 points. Kuether tallied 37 on 14-of-25 shooting with four assists and four steals, while Dickson scored 30 on 10-of-15 shooting with three blocks.
OWU shot 48.4 percent (31-64) from the field and made half of its 10 casts from international waters. The Bishops also went to the foul line 30 times, making 21 of their attempts from the charity stripe.
After the two teams traded the opening 12 points, Kuether buried a couple of trifectas and a layup to give the Bishops a 14-6 lead. Barkley stopped the run with a three-pointer of her own, then Dickson and Uwazie traded layups to make it 16-11. OWU would close the quarter with the same advantage as the scoreboard read 22-17 going into the second frame.
The Gators chomped back in the final four minutes of the half, trailing 36-31. Senior guard
Rachel Vigliotti split a pair of foul shots to begin the run, then Pellicano made a layup to bring Allegheny within two. Barkley put back an offensive rebound on the next possession to tie it before senior guard
Jessica Mrdjenovich sank a trifecta to complete an 8-0 stretch. However, the Bishops came back with eight of the next 13 points to make it 44-all at halftime.
The third quarter featured more back-and-forth action before OWU established a 58-52 lead with 5:20 remaining in the stanza. After a timeout by the Bishops, Arbore canned a trio of shots from deep on three consecutive possessions, pushing the Gators ahead, 63-60. She completed her individual run with a jumper in the paint after two Kuether free-throws, but the Bishops would eventually tie the game up at 68 apiece as the clock ran down in the quarter.
OWU stormed out of the gates to begin the closing stanza, scoring 14 of the first 18 points to pick up a 82-72 advantage. Uwazie and Mrdjenovich trimmed the deficit to six points with layups, but Kuether responded with a jumper and foul shot to make it a nine-point game. Despite Pellicano and Mrdjenovich making it 85-80 with 30 seconds to play after back-to-back baskets, the Bishops made three free-throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Allegheny held edges in bench points (25-6), second chance points (13-7), and points off turnovers (23-13). The Gators also outrebounded OWU on the afternoon, 47-39.
Allegheny is back in action at 1:00 p.m. next Saturday, Jan. 16 when it faces Denison.
