WILMINGTON — Kenyon College saw its 15-point lead dwindle to just three points, but the Ladies held on to defeat the Wilmington College women’s basketball team 65-57 in the championship game of the Damon’s/Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic held at Hermann Court on Sunday.
“Once we get together and do what we are supposed to do, we are going to be just fine,” Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jerry Scheve said. “What we need to do is all correctable. We have what it takes to be a good basketball team.”
Kenyon outscored Wilmington 16-9 in the first quarter and led by as many as 13 in the first half. A McKayla Binkley layup proved to be the final basket of the first half as the Ladies, which held the Quakers to under 31 percent shooting in each of the first two quarters, took a 34-23 lead into halftime.
A Bridget Molnar jumper at the 3:27 mark of the third quarter put Kenyon ahead 36-31, but the Ladies would see their double-digit lead nearly come crashing down. A 7-0 run from the Quakers capped by a triple from Savannah Hooper got Wilmington within eight, but a Jessica Gerber off-balance jumper at the buzzer put Kenyon up 48-38 after three quarters.
Three points from Faith Teaford opened the quarter for Wilmington to get the hosts within five, but Lane Davis ended the Wilmington run with a basket. Several minutes later, Teaford nailed a three-pointer at the 4:15 mark to pull the Quakers within two points at 53-51. Once again, however, Kenyon answered with a basket.
Trailing 55-51, Michelle Lee took a pass from Teaford and hit jumper to get within two points once again, and after a defensive stop, Wilmington got the ball back with a chance to tie the game for the first time since the opening tip or even take a lead. Unfortunately for the Quakers, Hooper’s potential go-ahead triple was off target, and Kenyon got its own miss and Grace Connery nailed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving the Ladies a five-point. After a stop, Davis converted a layup to put the game out of reach.
“Kenyon is a solid team that really executes its offense,” said Scheve. “I thought we did a better job defensively in the second half, but they still shot the ball well enough to win.”
Kenyon finished 27-of-60 (45.0 percent) from the field including a 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) mark from three-point range and a 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) performance from the free throw line. Wilmington countered with 21-of-58 (36.2 percent) from the field, 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the three-point arc and 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
Individually, Kennedy Lewis was the lone Quaker to finish in double figures in scoring with 14 points and three rebounds. Kelly Noll added nine points, seven rebounds and three assists while McKayla Binkley had nine points and dished out five assists.
Four Ladies – Jessica Gerber, Paige Matijasich, Connery and Davis – finished in double figures in scoring. Davis added 13 rebounds to help Kenyon win the rebounding battle 40-35.
Matijasich took home All-Classic Team Most Valuable Player honors while Davis, Noll and Lewis earned sports on the All-Classic Team. Kate Balcom was Grove City College’s honoree.
Wilmington (1-1) hosts the Fred Raizk Memorial Tournament next weekend.
WC defeats Grove City
WILMINGTON — The Wilmington College women’s basketball team jumped out to a 42-20 lead at halftime and road it to victory in a 75-55 triumph over Grove City College (Pennsylvania) in the first game of the 2018 Damon’s/Hampton Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Kelly Noll sparked the Quakers early with two three-points as well as taking two charges. McKayla Binkley also poured in four points in the first several minutes including an old-fashioned, three-point play that put Wilmington ahead 10-2. A Savannah Hooper triple at the 1:10 mark of the first quarter put the Quakers up dozen.
Grove City (1-1) would get within 10 midway through the second quarter on a Sedona Campbell layup, but that would be the final basket the Wolverines would score in the half. Wilmington went on a 12-0 run over the final 4:49 capped by a McKayla Binkley layup off a pass from Ellen Nilback.
The Wolverines, who finished 18-10 as members of the President’s Athletic Conference (PAC) last season, outscored the Quakers 21-19 in the third quarter and got with 14 points (61-47) with 8:15 to play in regulation. Wilmington answered the triples from both McKayla and Hannah Binkley along with a free throw from Faith Teaford to put the game out of reach and win the season-opener.
Wilmington finished 29-of-61 (47.5 percent) from the field including a 10-of-20 (50.0 percent) mark from distance. Grove City made 23-of-70 (32.9 percent) field goals, but converted just 2-of-10 three-point attempts. The Quakers won the rebounding battle 45-42 as well as dishing out 21 assists in the game.
Individually, five players scored in double figures for the Quakers. McKayla Binkley led the way with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field while Kelly Noll, who finished 4-of-5, had 13 points. Hannah Binkley chipped in a dozen off the bench while Teaford added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kennedy Lewis, who started her first collegiate game at point guard, dished out seven assists compared to just one turnover.
Kate Balcom and Jess Brown led Grove City in defeat with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
