MEADVILLE, Pa.—The Allegheny College women's basketball team were unable to overcome a big opening half for Ohio Northern University as they fell 74-56 in Meadville on day two of the Greg Richards '08 Memorial Classic Saturday (Nov. 17).
Over the course of the weekend, the Gators were able to raise over $2,000 for the Yolando G. Barco Oncology Institute at the Greg Richards '08 Memorial Classic.
The Gators got out to a fast start, taking a 9-4 lead four minutes in.
Julianna Skowron scored four of the opening points, while
Rylee Donovan had a three. The Polar Bears quickly caught up, taking a 10-9 lead midway through the quarter. That lead grew to 16-9 before the Gators ended the run with a Donovan jumper. In the closing thirty seconds of the half, the Polar Bears hit a three to take a 19-11 lead into the second.
Ohio Northern opened the second quarter with a three as their lead grew to 11, but
Kaylah Pinkney answered with her own three on the ensuing possession. The lead remained the same throughout the majority of the second quarter as the Polar Bears took a 34-22 lead into the locker room.
Pinkney led the Gators with nine points in the opening half. Skowron had eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Early in the third, Pinkney and
Brooke Smith hit back-to-back lay-ups to cut the lead to 34-26. However, the Polar Bears answered with a quick 5-0 run. Midway through the third, the Ohio Northern lead grew to 52-33. The Gators came alive late in the quarter, cutting the deficit to 55-41 entering the final frame.
The Polar Bear lead reached 18 a minute into the fourth, but the Gators started to mount a comeback. Skowron hit a jumper, followed by a traditional three-point play by Donovan. A
Delaney Arbore basket cut the lead to 59-48. Less than a minute later, Donovan hit a three to put the deficit within single digits at 59-51.
Ohio Northern regained their footing with a three, but Donovan cut the lead back to nine with a lay-up. However, the Polar Bears would then go on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach, as they held on for a 74-56 win.
Donovan continued to play well early in the season, leading the Gators with 17 points, five rebounds, five steals and five assists. Skowron finished with a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double, along with four assists. Pinkney also had 14 points and just missed a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds.
The Gators shot 32.4% from the floor in the game while Ohio Northern hit 42.2% of their shots. The Polar Bears also owned a 52-32 rebounding advantage.
Ohio Northern was led by Lexi Jacob's 17 points.
The Gators are back in action Tuesday (Nov. 20) when they travel to Washington & Jefferson University for a non-conference game.
