Women's basketball advances to semis

Yeowomen beat Allegheny, face top seed OWU

A regulation basketball floor runs 94 feet in length. For the past two games, it has been the final 10 feet on either end that has read the palm of the Oberlin women's basketball team and determined their fortunes.

Low-post capitulation and a crucial lapse in second-half intensity resulted in a disappointing defeat to regular-season conference champion Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday (now 18-6, 14-2). The game ended in a disappointing loss, and earned the women an away berth in the conference championship, a game they won Tuesday against Allegheny. The victory leaves the women facing a challenge somewhat similar to the one they faced last weekend: they must beat No. 1-ranked Ohio Wesleyan. This fact makes Saturday's game against the team even more important for the team as they hit the road for today's game.

Crucial to the Battling Bishops in locking up the conference regular season title, Saturday's contest was also billed as a must-win situation for the road-weary women.

For the first half of Saturdays game against OWU it looked as though the boisterous home crowd would have another game to kazoo their way to victory.

Offensive frustrations marred the opening of the game. Some of these can be attributed to the Oberlin defensive effort. Opening in a half-court 3-2 zone, the flat-head defense effectively eliminated dribble penetration and perimeter shooting. Inside, the Bishops were plagued by turnovers along the baseline and three second violations. On the other end of the court, the Yeomen ball rotation exploited Wesleyan's man-to-man defense and created numerous lay-up opportunities. No one had informed the custodians to take the lid off the basket, however, or the women might have rolled out to a lead greater than the 12-3 one they took eight minutes into the game.

After adjusting and converting the game into a low-post battle, the Bishops managed to cut down on their frontcourt turnovers and pounded out a five-point lead going into half-time. Five points, however, is a mere two possessions, and the second half looked promising. An inexplicable lapse in intensity after coming out the lockerroom proved disastrous to this promise.

Led by the low-post play of first-year Katey Sturtz, who finished with 16 points (all of them scored in the second half) the paint was dominated by Bishop red. Virtually cutting off second-chance shot opportunities and scoring seemingly at will down low, by the time the Bishops had completed a 22-4 run they led 53-30 with 12:32 left in the contest.

Commenting on the puzzling Bishop run, junior Chamia Peterson said, "Intensity was the key. We just didn't have it." Coach Ann Gilbert was also puzzled. "At home we are more intense than any other team I've seen this year. And it just wasn't there today," she said.

Though some late heroics by first-year sensation Nzinga Broussard, who finished the game with 22 points, helped the women cut the lead down to 14 with 5:26 remaining, it was simply too deep a hole to leap out of. At the end of the Ohio Wesleyan 80-57 victory Oberlin was left contemplating their future road game at Allegheny.

The locals at Allegheny College might have called Tuesday's game a "barn-burner." We won't, but you get the point. Having lost a few days before at Allegheny, the road-shy Yeomen had a few demons to exorcise. Having been blown out at Philips gymnasium, the Gators well remembered the firepower Oberlin could must against them. Most importantly, March Madness loomed ahead. One loss in the conference tournament meant that the losing team forfeited its invitation to the big dance. "We looked at it as a tournament game. We give it all or we don't play agai," first-year power forward Raegan Johnson said

Relying on a three-quarter court 2-2-1 trap to slow down a quick Gator backcourt, the Yeowomen slowed the ballgame down on defense.

Offensively, Allegheny was forced to witness an inside-outside Oberlin combo rarely matched in conference play. Broussard and Johnson combined equally for a total of 44 points, leading the way in a brutal battle of wills. Tied at 53 with 2:24 remaining, a Johnson layup, freethrow, and four rebounds gave the women a three point advantage with 12 seconds remaining.

Three points is only, however, one possession, and the game still remained in doubt until Broussard stepped to the charity stripe. Two pressure filled free throws later, and the 58-55 victory belonged to Oberlin.

Assistant Coach Joanna Wells summed up the women's play. "Intensity," she said. " We wanted it more than they did. We came up with the big steals, the big rebounds, and the big score. It was really great to see [Oberlin] dig down and come out with the win to move us on down the tournament."

Oberlin's tournament trail winds through Delaware, Ohio tonight and takes a challenging pause on the home floor of conference champion Ohio Wesleyan. For these women, however, the question is through where the trail where wind. The question is whether they can dominate the final ten feet of their destination.

February madness: Oberlin dominates the paint in Tuesday's upset over Allegheny (photo by Jake Schlesinger)