Women’s basketball up and down to begin the new year
Ian Benson
Features Editor
After a rather disappointing start to the season, the Scot women’s basketball team was looking to turn their fortune around moving into the new year. Entering 2012 on an eight game losing streak, the team looked to remain competitive and turn things around.
The Scots started off at Kenyon College on Jan. 3. They started the game slow, falling behind early until the team managed a slight lead 12 minutes into regulation before Kenyon succeeded a quick scoring run, taking a 41-27 lead over the Scots heading into the half. Despite Susana Sulzer ’12 achieving her second double-double of the season (15 points, 11 rebounds), and Jessica Wingen ’13 and Suvi Puripattarrapan ’14 both scoring in the double digits, the team ultimately lost 70-53.
Following that loss, the Scots hosted Denison University on Jan. 7. The Scots held Denison to just 31 percent shooting from the field, holding a slight lead until Denison went on a 9-0 scoring run, going in to the break with a 25-18 lead. The second half was dominated though by Denison, ultimately defeating the Scots 66-38.
After losing the first two games of the new year, the Scots hosted Hiram College on Jan. 11. Despite trailing by as much as eight points early in the second half, the Scots gained momentum from a 13-0 scoring run, taking a 49-39 lead. Led by Sarah Abboud ’12 with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Wingen’s 14 points and 13, the Scot won the game 59-52. Other key contributions came from Karley Walker ’14 and Puripattarrapan, each with five assists. Overall the Scots had 16 assists in the game, the second highest amount for the season.
This win snapped a 10-game losing streak that stretched all the way back to Nov. 19 when the Scots beat Northwestern Ohio University 78-70. This victory also gave the Scots their second win of the season, matching their win total from last season.
The Scots next challenge came on Jan 14. against seventh-ranked DePauw University. The Tigers dominated the Scots thanks to a 32-2 scoring run after the Scots jumped ahead to a 5-1 lead early in the game, entering the break with a 33-7 lead. The Scots played better in the second half, bested by the Tigers by only 9 points, scoring 29 points overall in the half but still not enough to overcome the deficit the Tigers created, losing the game 71-36. Sulzer led the team with 12 points, all of which came in the second half. The team was hampered by the loss of Wingen, who fouled out and scored only four points in the night.
The Scots returned home to take on Oberlin on Jan. 18. The Scots maintained a slight lead for most of the game before an 11-0 scoring run in the final four minutes of put the Scots ahead of the Yeowomen for good, winning the game 61-46. Abboud scored a career high 17 points, with key contributions from Wingen (12 points), Walker (10 points) and Sulzer (eight points, eight rebounds) also helping to secure the win.
The Scots next hosted Wittenberg on Jan. 21, coming into that game having won two of their last three, though a 17-0 scoring run from the Tigers at the end of the first half helped them to win the game 67-43, with the Scots shooting just 23 percent from the field. With three wins on the season, the Scots have already improved upon last season’s record with seven games left in the season. The Scots look to capitalize on this luck Jan. 31 at Denison.