Wild Bunch Key In Gator Bid For Second Place

Jan 31, 2004

It seemed like everything in Saturday afternoon’s North Coast Athletic Conference women’s basketball game between Allegheny College and Ohio Wesleyan University revolved around “second.” In a match-up between the NCAC’s two second place teams, it was Allegheny’s second unit that turned up the heat in the second half to spark the Gators second win of 2004 over Ohio Wesleyan, 62-58.

Allegheny is now in sole possession of second place in the NCAC with an 8-2 conference mark and a 10-9 overall record. The win was Allegheny’s sixth straight. With the loss, Ohio Wesleyan falls to 11-7 overall and 7-3 in the NCAC.

Allegheny fell behind, 25-18, with 18:06 left in the game, but sophomore guard Valery Medwid (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) hit a three-pointer on the Gators next possession to start a 7-0 run that was capped by sophomore guard Jessica Kankoski’s (Glenshaw, Pa./Fox Chapel) jumper to tie the game 25-25 with 15:51 showing on the clock.

OWU ripped off the next four points, and head coach Jennifer Reimer put in the Gators second unit, lovingly called the “Wild Bunch,” with 14:09 left in the game. With their patented full-court press, the Wild Bunch – made up by sophomore guards Allison Roberts (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy), Beth Van Parys (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy), Jackie Tubo (Altoona, Pa./Altoona), junior guard Raelynn Miles (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry), and freshman guard Meghan Vasilisin (Munhall, Pa./Oakland Catholic) – forced four turnovers over the next two minutes and had built a 44-30 lead when Tubo hit a layup with 10:53 left for her only two points of the game.

Ohio Wesleyan slowly cut away at the lead, pulling to within two points, 60-58, on a three-pointer by Celina Dopoulos with six seconds left. Sophomore forward Kristen Lyzen (Brook Park, Ohio/Midpark) drilled two free throws with three seconds left to ice the game for the Gators. Allegheny hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final minute.

Medwid had three second half three-pointers to lead Allegheny in scoring with 15 points. The sophomore went 4-of-7 from the field and was 4-4 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Meredith McDonough (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic), Lyzen, Kankoski and Miles each finished with eight points.

Allegheny limped into the locker room at halftime shooting just 25.8 percent (8-31), but were still within reach at 21-16 thanks to the Battling Bishops inability to convert at the foul line. The Gators were whistled for 10 first half fouls, but OWU managed to make just 7-18 shots from the line.

Ohio Wesleyan forced two long dry spells with the Gators failing to get a basket between the 17:38 mark and the 11:47 mark of the first half. After getting up to 10 points with 7:26 showing in the first stanza, the Gators again went cold, failing to hit another field goal until 2:37 was left in the half.

After the dismal first half, Allegheny shot 46.9 percent in the second half and outrebounded OWU, 20-13, over the last 20 minutes.

OWU’s Erica Brizendine led all scorers with 26 points while Kelly Heil, the NCAC’s leading scorer and rebounder, had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

The Gators return to action on Tuesday, February 3, as they travel to Oberlin for a 7:30 p.m. conference match-up.

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