Gators Hold Off Scots for 64-55 Win

Feb 7, 2007

Boxscore

WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior Katie Kestler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) tallied 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half, including four three-pointers, to lead the Allegheny College women’s basketball team to a 64-55 victory over The College of Wooster in a key North Coast Athletic Conference contest Wednesday evening.

With the win, the Gators (15-7, 9-5 NCAC) move a game and a half in front of the Fighting Scots (12-10, 7-6 NCAC) for fourth-place in the league standings and, more importantly, the opportunity to host in the first round of the upcoming NCAC Tournament.

Four Allegheny players reached double-figures, including Kestler who notched her fifth 20-point game of the season. Kestler, who also dropped 22 points on the Scots in a 77-71 overtime loss on Jan. 24, connected on 7-of-11 field goals and 5-of-9 three-point attempts. Sophomore Stephanie Wolf (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) also came up clutch in the second half, finishing the game with 15 points and a season-high eight assists.

Allegheny jumped out to an early lead against Wooster and never relinquished its advantage. The Gator lead steadily grew to 13 (31-18) at 8:27 following a jumper by freshman Emilie Simone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) in the paint, but the Fighting Scots fought their way back, eventually cutting the margin to six (31-25) with seven unanswered points.

The visitors, who connected on 50.0 percent (16-of-32) of their field goals in the opening stanza, closed the half with a 10-2 run to take a 41-27 lead into the break. Four different Gators picked up points during the run, including a pair of jumpers by Jennifer Latronica (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) en route to 10 first-half tallies.

Wooster came roaring back in the second half behind Beth Besancon Sidle, who lit up the Gators for six three-pointers and 24 points in their first meeting back on January 24. After Kestler opened the final period with a three-pointer to up the lead to 17 (44-27), Besancon Sidle connected on two shots from deep, the last of which began a 9-0 by the hosts to cut the margin to just 46-41 with 12:51 remaining.

Kestler countered the tide with a three-pointer of her own and Vasilisin followed with a jumper to bring the lead back to double-digits at 51-41 at 9:25. The pesky Scots once again cut the margin to four (51-47) with a 6-0 run, but Allegheny wasn’t about to let the game slip away as Kestler connected from deep to quiet the run, and then punched in the dagger with her fifth three-pointer of the night to grab a 58-47 lead with 2:32 to play. The squads exchanged field goals and free throws the rest of the way with Kestler and Wolf connecting on 6-of-8 free throws to help seal the win.

After opening with the game’s first bucket, senior Meghan Vasilisin (Munhall, Pa./Oakland Catholic) tied her season-high with a dozen tallies on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and two free throw shots. Latronica didn’t score in the second half, but finished the contest with team-highs of six rebounds and two blocks, while Wolf also added two swats and a game-high four steals.

All four of Besancon Sidle’s field goals were of the long-range variety, spelling out to 14 points, while Winnie Adrien poured in a team-high 16 points. The Scot backcourt also added 11 rebounds and eight steals. Carly Loehrke corralled a game-high 11 rebounds in addition to eight points and three steals.

Allegheny plays its final regular season home game on Saturday, February 10, against league-leading Denison University as part of the school’s “Jam the Gym” activities. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is set for 1 p.m.

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