Women cagers drop heartbreaker at the buzzer

It'll be a showdown at Philips Gym on Saturday. The women's basketball season will boil down to this one game, in which a win will propel them into the post-season, and a loss will end their season.

The Lady Crimson blew two opportunities to clinch a post season berth this week. They lost at Denison University on Saturday, 66-52, and fell at home to Allegheny College on Wednesday, 61-58. The women's record now stands at 2-13 in the conference, 5-15 overall.

On Saturday, Oberlin's opportunities were limited. On the road, against the second-best team in the conference, Denison at 14-7, the Lady Crimson were not quite favored to win. "Denison played well over all," said Assistant Coach Bill Baker. The Big Red proved they are not just a pack of chewing gum, and defended their home court.

Coach Ann Gilbert said, "We had our chances. We have a tendency to dig a hole for ourselves. [Lady Crimson] have a lot of fight in them, just not at the right moment."

Oberlin regrouped at home on Wednesday night. They opened up the game with full-court pressure against the Gators. Allegheny took a bite out of the press, scoring two easy lay-ups. Oberlin took the press off, and settled back into their stubborn zone defense.

The Lady Crimson had a firm grasp on the game, leading 20-13 at the 8:51 mark. The Gators then went on a 15-2 run, taking a 28-22 lead.

Things looked bleak for the Lady Crimson. They blew a seven-point lead, and were in danger of going into the locker room down six. Oberlin showed some resilience, and reeled off six straight points, tying the game at 28 going into half-time. First-year Regina Respert keyed the resurgence, on back-to-back break-away lay-ups.

Respert led Oberlin with 14 points and six rebounds at the break. Oberlin also had two players in foul trouble. Sophomore Chamia Peterson and first-year Heather Barbee both had three fouls, and Peterson did not start the second half.

Peterson, the Lady Crimson's only natural point guard, had an awful game. She ended up with two points on 0-4 shooting, to go along with three assists, three turnovers, 4 rebounds, and also fouled out of the game. "She struggles with her shooting, and it might have been her worst game defensively," said Assistant Coach Don Hunsinger.

Gilbert commented on the poor play from the point guard position. "That's definitely the position we are lacking consistency from the most. We don't have a lot of depth. It's the number one position we are recruiting for," said Gilbert.

Oberlin had an up-and-down second half. The Gators came out of the locker room with force, taking a 40-30 lead five minutes into the half.

Sophomore Ikeya Hillman then took control of the game. She scored nine straight points, giving the Lady Crimson a one-point lead. That was the last lead that Oberlin would hold,

for all of 13 seconds.

The Gators ended up with a two-point lead, with 30 seconds left in the game. Oberlin fouled Allegheny, putting them on the line to shoot a one-and-one. The Gator's player missed the free throw, but Oberlin failed to gather in the rebound Allegheny was fouled and sent to the line again. The Lady Crimson had a chance to win the game on a three-point shot, but made a mental error. Rather than kick the ball out for another three pointer, the Lady Crimson tried to lay the ball back up off the rebound, as time expired.

Sophomore Tiffany Davis said, "Of course we feel bad about it. It was a close game and we should have won."

The big factor in the game was rebounding. Oberlin got out-rebounded 54-41. Gilbert said, "Rebounding was big. We got outworked." The key plays were not made in this game. Oberlin failed to rebound the ball on Allegheny's free throws, and the game was lost.

Respert had a superb performance. She scored 23, on 11-22 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds. Respert gave her all in the game, and left the gym on crutches. She has a muscle tear in her knee, and will have to undergo surgery at season's end. She practiced on Thursday, and is expected to play Saturday against Earlham College. This is an injury she has played with through a good portion of the season.

Saturday promises to be a huge game. If Oberlin wins, they are guaranteed a spot in the NCAC tournament. The Lady Crimson lost at Earlham in overtime on Jan. 17. If they lose, their fate will be determined by a coin flip with Case Western Reserve University.

"The story will be told on Saturday. It is critical they perform well," said Gilbert.

Reaching new heights: Sophomore Ikeya Hillman makes a lay-up in Wednesday's game against Allegheny. (photo by Ned Basbaum)