Box Score 1 Ohio Wesleyan 71, Brescia 67
Oneonta State 65, Wilmington 54Junior guard Megan Kuether (Osgood/Marion Local) scored 5 consecutive points on the way to a tournament record, and junior post Taylor Dickson (Baltimore/Liberty Union) added 2 more as Ohio Wesleyan scored the final 7 points of the game to rally for a win over Brescia in the first round of the annual Bishop Classic/Hoops for Hope tournament, hosted by Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday at Branch Rickey Arena.
In Tuesday's second game, Oneonta State rallied for a win over Wilmington. Ohio Wesleyan and Oneonta State will square off in the tournament championship game at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, to be preceded by Brescia against Wilmington in the consolation game at 1 p.m.
Brescia had taken a 67-64 lead on Jaylen Houston's lay-in with 2:14 left in regualtion time.
After a Bishop timeout, Kuether drove for a lay-in to make it a one-point game with 2:01 to play. The Bearcats missed 4 shots that would have extended the lead, with junior post Mercedez Wood (Alliance/Marlington) grabbing a defensive rebound with :34 to play. After a timeout, Kuether drove to the basket and was fouled, then sank both free throws to give Ohio Wesleyan a 68-67 lead with :21 to go.
Dickson intercepted Kelsey Kirkpatrick's inbounds pass and handed off to Kuether, who was fouled with :17 remaining, and Kuether hit the second of 2 free throws for a 69-67 Bishop lead. Brescia's Julie Whitfill then drove the lane with a chance to tie the game, but her lay-in didn't fall, and Dickson cleared the rebound, was fouled, and hit both free throws to seal the outcome.
Whitfill had knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers as the Bearcats turned an 11-9 lead into a 21-11 margin late in the first quarter, and Brescia would lead by as many as 11 points during the second quarter before taking a 33-27 lead into the locker room.
The Bishops rallied in the third quarter, taking a 38-37 lead on Keuther's jumper midway through the period, but Brescia retook the lead and was up, 54-47, on Whitfill's 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.
Trailing, 57-50, Ohio Wesleyan reeled off 8 straight points to take the lead, with Kuether supplying a 3-point play and a jumper from the lane during that run. Brescia came back with a 3-point play from Haley Cook and a Kirkpatrick 3-pointer for a 65-60 lead with 3:23 left, setting up the thrilling conclusion.
Kuether led the Bishops with 31 points, breaking the tournament single-game record of 29 points set by Olivia Yarrell of Olivet against Ohio Wesleyan on Dec. 29, 2009, and tied by Heather Harper of Franklin against Ohio Wesleyan on Dec. 30, 2009. Dickson finished with 16 points. Wood grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, and senior guard Hanna Fedorka (North Canton/Massillon Jackson) led the Bishops with 7 assists.
Whitfill led Brescia with 25 points.
In Tuesday's nightcap, Brittaney Jefferson scored the first 8 points of the game as Wilmington raced to an 8-0 lead, and the Quakers extended the margin to 27-14 on Jefferson's fast-break lay-in midway through the second quarter. Wilmington led by a 32-23 count at the intermission and still held a 44-31 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
Oneonta State held the Quakers without a field goal for the remainder of the period, going on a 13-1 run that included a fast-break lay-in and a pair of 3 pointers by Lyteshia Price, and after Jefferson hit a free throw to give Wilmington a 46-44 lead, Price stole the ball and dished to Cara Adams, whose 3-pointer gave Oneonta a 47-46 lead in the closing seconds of the period.
The Red Dragons continued their run in the fourth quarter, with a pair of Adams 3-pointers helping construct a 58-48 lead with 3:06 left in regulation time. The Quakers fought valiantly, collecting 7 offensive rebounds in one stretch of 30 seconds before closing to within 59-52 with 1:13 left, but that was as close as Wilmington would come.
Price led Oneonta State with 20 points, while Mackenzie Campbell had 19 points for Wilmington.
Ohio Wesleyan-Brescia Box ScoreOneonta State-Wilmington Box Score
