Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 65, Wilmington 45
Mount Union 77, Mount Aloysius 49
Sophomore point guard Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati/Anderson) highlighted first- and second-quarter runs and sophomore guard Lauren Denison (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) sparked a third-quarter sprint that helped Ohio Wesleyan pull away for a win over Wilmington during the first evening of the Bishop Classic/Hoops for Hope tournament on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.
In Wednesday's nightcap, Mount Union pulled away for a 77-49 win over Mount Aloysius.
Thursday's games pit Wilmington against Mount Aloysius at 1 p.m., to be followed by Mount Union against Ohio Wesleyan at 3 p.m.
Wednesday's opener saw Wilmington close to within 8-5 when Cassidy Lovett hit the second of 2 free throws with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
Ohio Wesleyan answered with a 7-0 burst, collecting a lay-in from freshman post Alyssa Griner, a 3-pointer by Homan and a jumper from sophomore guard Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg) in a span of just under 2 minutes, extending the lead to 15-5.
The Quakers opened the second quarter with a pair of Elise Carpenter free throws and a Kelis Jones jumper to pull within 15-11, but the Bishops held the visitors scoreless for 6 minutes while getting a 3-pointer by Homan and hoops from senior post Cierra Joiner (Centerburg) and Homan to open up a 24-13 lead.
Wilmington again fought back, closing to within 30-23 on a Jones 3-pointer in the third quarter, but Ohio Wesleyan scored the next 12 points of the game, with Denison knocking down a 3-pointer and adding a hoop, Joiner scoring a pair of buckets, and Schipfer closing out the run with a 3-point play that made it a 42-23 game with 3:59 to play in the period.
Ohio Wesleyan would take a 51-34 lead into the final quarter, and the margin would remain in double figures throughout the remainder of the game.
Schipfer led the Bishops with 15 points and shared the team lead with 7 rebounds, while Joiner scored 14 points and shared the team lead with 7 boards. Homan added 12 points and had a team-high 4 assists.
Kennedy Lewis and Zahrya Bailey scored 8 points apiece for Wilmington.
Ohio Wesleyan-Wilmington Box Score
Mount Aloysius-Mount Union Box Score
