Yeowomen Unable to Put Ohio Wesleyan Away

Basketball Suffers From Low Intensity on the Boards

by Zachary Pretzer

In some basketball games, it doesn’t matter how well you take care of the ball or how aggressive you are on defense. If a team isn’t shooting well from the floor and boxing out underneath the baskets, they are doomed from the start.
The Oberlin women’s basketball home game against Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday was a perfect example of how shooting percentage and rebounding can determine a game alone. The Yeowomen committed 13 fewer turnovers and picked nine more steals than Ohio Wesleyan, but the Lady Bishops’ deadly three point shooting and control of the boards proved to be more than enough for Oberlin to handle, as they lost to Ohio Wesleyan, 74-57.
Ohio Wesleyan jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead, courtesy of back-to-back three pointers by Bishop guard Elizabeth Edinger. It took the Yeowomen four and a half minutes before they would make their first goal, a short jumper by sophomore guard Sonja Spencer.
First-year guard Tessa Stevens came off the bench about halfway through the first period and provided some spark that Oberlin badly needed. Stevens made consecutive jumpers to put the Yeowomen within nine points, but that was as close as the team would get to catching the Bishops, who finished the first half with a 19 point lead.
Assistant Coach Don Hunsinger said, “Tessa played extremely well, especially in the first half. She penetrated a couple of times really well and dished out four assists, but easily could have had six or seven.” 
The Yeowomen’s biggest problem this season has been getting off to a good start, and Tuesday’s game was no exception. Oberlin only made nine of 37 field goals in the first half, and missed all three of their three point attempts. The Bishops, however, buried five of nine three pointers in the first period and shot 45.7 percent from the floor.
Ohio Wesleyan completely owned the boards, pulling down nearly as many offensive rebounds (30) in the game as the Yeowomen had total rebounds (31).
Junior guard Nzinga Broussard paced the Yeowomen by scoring a game-high 22 points while picking up six steals — three of which were converted into lay-ups. Broussard made 11 of 22 field goal attempts in 32 minutes of play. 
“It was definitely the best game Nzinga has played all season,” Hunsinger said about Broussard’s performance.
Senior forwards Heather and Rachael Barbee also chipped in with nine and eight rebounds respectively. Spencer was the second leading scorer for the Yeowomen with nine points, including a three pointer.
As the North Coast Athletic Conference tournaments quickly approach, the Yeowomen will look to increase their intensity in the first half and take high-percentage shots from tip-off — not the beginning of the second half. 
“We just have to increase our intensity from the beginning of the game — under the boards and in the backcourt,” Hunsinger said.
The Yeowomen missed nine lay-ups in the game, so they will have to finish plays in order for good things to happen in the NCAC tournament.
Said Spencer, “We are going to try to play as well as we can in the tournament. If we give our best effort I think anything can happen.”
Oberlin currently holds the seventh spot in the conference and will likely face either Ohio Wesleyan or Allegheny College in the first round of the tournament. Tomorrow afternoon the Yeowomen will face a tough Earlham (Ind.) team at 1 p.m. in Phillips Gym.