GAMBIER, Ohio – Wednesday evening at Tomsich Arena, the Oberlin College Yeowomen put together a dominant second quarter, one that propelled them to a 67-45 North Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball win over the host Kenyon College Ladies.
Oberlin took control early and never once yielded the lead. Kenyon, despite falling behind 5-0 and 9-2, got five first-quarter points from junior
Paige Matijasich to keep things close. Three-pointers from
Sharon Hull and
Grace Connery pulled the Ladies within two points (13-11) at the end of the opening stanza.
The plot changed drastically in the second quarter, as Oberlin went on a 16-3 tear and moved ahead by 15 points. Alexandra Stipano drilled a pair of three-pointers during the run and both Jasmine Sorrells and Olivia Canning tossed in four points as the Yeowomen went 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor and 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) at the free throw line during those second 10 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Kenyon was just 4-of-16 (25.0 percent) in the second quarter, was outscored 26-11 and went into the intermission trailing 39-22.
Stipano, who led all scorers with 21 points, tallied 13 in the first half.
Kenyon (12-7, 6-5 NCAC) shot a little better in the third, but it was already too late. Oberlin moved ahead by as many as 25 points before settling on a 23-point advantage at the close of the third. That margin prompted both coaches to empty their benches in the fourth.
The Ladies ended up shooting 15-of-64 (23.4 percent) for the game, matching their season-low. They really struggled from long range, posting a 15.0 percent shooting performance (3-of-20) from beyond the three-point arc.
Matijasich finished with 10 points and was the only Kenyon player in double figures. Senior
Lane Davis added eight points, as did Connery.
Oberlin (11-7, 6-3 NCAC) wound up shooting 50.0 percent (23-of-46), the best total by a Kenyon opponent this season. Stipano's 21 points were backed by 14 from Cheyenne Arthur and 11 from Canning, who also rang up game-high totals of seven rebounds and five assists.
The Ladies will try to turn things around Saturday, when they celebrate Senior Day and host the Wittenberg University Tigers (12-7, 6-4 NCAC) at 1 p.m.
