WOOSTER, Ohio—The Allegheny College women's basketball team's fourth quarter comeback fell short in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) road contest at the College of Wooster, 70-61, Wednesday (Feb. 8) evening.
The Fighting Scots jumped out to an 8-0 lead before
Delaney Arbore got the Gators on the board with a three pointer. That shot sparked a 10-3 lead over the next couple minutes as the Gators jumped ahead, 13-11. The teams traded the lead back-and-forth for the next four minutes before the Fighting Scots gained an advantage in the final minute of the quarter. Wooster went on a 5-0 run in the final minute to take a 21-15 lead heading into the second.
The beginning of the second quarter was similar to the start of the game as the Fighting Scots went on a 5-0 run to push their lead to 32-19. The lead grew to as much as 13, 30-17, in the final part of the half. In the closing minute, the Gators got the lead down to single digits, 39-30, but a late spurt gave Wooster a 44-30 lead at the half.
Emily Smith led the Gators with six points in the opening half while
Amanda Beebe posted five.
Olivia Barkley grabbed seven rebounds.
Zoe Soilis had five rebounds. The Gators shot 30.3% (10-of-33) from the field. Of the 30 points in the half, 20 of them came from the reserves.
The third quarter belonged to Wooster as their lead grew to as much as 22. Outscoring the Gators 15-7, the Fighting Scots took a 59-37 lead into the fourth.
The Gators heated up in the fourth, starting the quarter on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 11. Barkley scored 10 of those points. Following a Wooster timeout, Beebe hit a layup to bring the lead back to single digits, 59-50. After trading baskets, the Gators pulled within seven, 67-60, with a minute to play.
The Gators tested the Fighting Scots at the free throw line in the final 60 seconds but they were able to convert to secure the win.
Arbore and Soilis led the Gators with 13 points apiece. Soilis grabbed nine rebounds while Arbore had seven. Barkley was a savage on the glass, collecting 15 rebounds, nine of which were offensive. Offensively, she finished with eight points. Beebe just missed double digits, finishing with nine points.
Overall, the Gators shot 29% (20-of-69) from the field. At the free throw line, they converted 15-of-18 (83.3%) opportunities. The battle of the boards was won by Allegheny, 49-45. The Gators forced 22 turnovers with 12 steals and blocked five shots, led by a pair from
Madison Caufield.
The Gators return home Saturday (Feb. 11) to face Denison University in NCAC action.
