Senior guard Lauren Denison buried back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 20-3 first-quarter run that started the Ohio Wesleyan women’s basketball team on its way to an 81-51 North Coast Athletic Conference win over Hiram on Saturday in Hiram.
The Ohio Wesleyan win, combined with DePauw’s 55-50 loss at Oberlin, moves the Bishops into first place in the NCAC standings at 10-2, with DePauw right behind at 10-3.
Diara Parsons gave the Terriers an early 2-0 lead, and after Ohio Wesleyan responded with hoops by senior guard Kasey Schipfer and junior post Karlee Ross, Parsons sank a pair of free throws to even the score at 4 with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
Junior post Alyssa Griner hit a jumper from the lane to put the Bishops ahead, and Denison knocked down 3-pointers on Ohio Wesleyan’s 2 subsequent possessions to stretch the lead to 12-4 midway through the period. Griner followed with another hoop and freshman post Macy Miller added 3 buckets during the final minutes of the period as the Bishops took a 24-7 lead.
Hiram rallied during the second quarter, assembling a 10-0 run that included 2 buckets by Payton Black to close within 33-22 with 3:03 left, and the Terriers were still within 39-31 after another Black hoop midway through the third period.
Denison then drilled a pair of 3-pointers as Ohio Wesleyan scored 8 points in less than a minute to stretch the margin to 47-31, and the Bishops would pull away during the fourth quarter.
Schipfer and Griner shared the team lead with 20 points apiece, with Schipfer adding a team-best 11 boards. Denison finished with 15 points, all from downtown, and Miller scored 10 points. Senior point guard Elizabeth Homan recorded 8 assists.
WRESTLING
Sophomore Joe Shoup posted a win for Ohio Wesleyan in a dual meet against Case Reserve on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.
Shoup closed out the meet with a 6-3 decision over Keith Heineman at 285 pounds.
Ohio Wesleyan’s other 2 victories were forfeits, with junior Des Perry winning at 184 and junior Geoffrey Kaminski at 197.
The Bishops forfeited at 125 and 133, and the Spartans then won 5 consecutive bouts, with sophomore Gabe Bulugaris losing a 19-2 technical fall to Art Martinez at 141, junior Joe Connor falling to Calvin Cai at 149, sophomore Luke Milanovich falling to Marty Landes at 157, senior Tommy Brunty falling to Mitchell Arch at 165, and junior Brady Walsh falling to Simon Bishop at 174.
Case Reserve won the dual, 41-15.
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Sophomore Ryan Tripp recorded Ohio Wesleyan’s best individual finish during the All-Ohio championship meet, hosted by Otterbein University on Saturday in Westerville.
Mount Union won the meet with 118 points to 100½ for Baldwin Wallace. Otterbein finished third with 96½ points, followed by Wooster (69½), Case Reserve (59½), Ohio Northern (59), Denison (52), Muskingum (40), Marietta (23½), Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin (19), Kenyon (12½), and Wilmington (6).
Tripp finished sixth in the high jump.
Other standouts for the Bishops included sophomore Benjamin Blaumeiser, who placed seventh in the 800-meter run; and junior Wes Horton, who finished eighth in the mile run and the 800-meter run.
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Freshman Zoe Ward won an All-Ohio title to lead Ohio Wesleyan at the All-Ohio championship meet, hosted by Otterbein University on Saturday in Westerville.
Mount Union won the meet with 120 points to 101½ for Case Reserve. Ohio Northern finished third with 89½ points, followed by Denison (62), Wooster (60), Otterbein (46½), Ohio Wesleyan (42), Marietta and Baldwin Wallace (35), Kenyon (28), Oberlin (25½), and Muskingum (17).
Ward won the 3,000-meter run, breaking the tape in 10:25.07.
Senior Addystin Lykins also won individual All-Ohio honors and helped a relay team garner All-Ohio recognition. Lykins finished third in the 200-meter dash and teamed with senior Liberty Brock, junior Sarah Mazzei, and freshman Amarah McPhaul for a third-place finish in the 800-meter relay.
OWU Sports Information contributed to this report.
