Women’s Basketball drops 57-47 decision to No. 12 Baldwin Wallace
By Bud Denega
ADA — Turnovers and a slow start plagued the Ohio Northern women's basketball team Wednesday night inside the ONU Sports Center. The Polar Bears managed to score just one bucket in the first 10 minutes and turned it over 21 times on the night en route to a 57-47 loss against No. 12 Baldwin Wallace.
The defeat dropped Northern 15-5 overall and 9-4 in Ohio Athletic Conference play. The win improved the Yellow Jackets to 18-2 on the season and 12-1 in conference action.
The Polar Bears held Baldwin Wallace within check for a majority of Wednesday night's contest. The Yellow Jackets came in averaging north of 71 points per game but only managed to shoot 37.3 percent (19 of 51) from the field and 37.5 percent (9 of 24) from beyond the 3-point arc.
ONU shot 42.9 percent (18 of 42) from the floor and 26.7 percent (4 of 15) from 3-point land. The Polar Bears won the battle on the glass 33-22, which included a 7-4 edge on the offensive boards.
Senior Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) paced Northern with 16 points on 7-for-8 accuracy. Sophomore Jaidyn Hale (Lima/Bath) and freshman Brynn Serbin (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) chipped in six points each.
The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a a balanced scoring attack. Riley Shill led the way with 13 points, while Kara Marshall and Hannah Fecht tallied 12 points apiece.
Baldwin Wallace jumped out to a 14-3 advantage at the end of the first frame. The Yellow Jackets extended their cushion to 26-7 before the Polar Bears closed the half on a 8-3 run.
ONU continued to chip away at its deficit and pulled to within nine, 50-41, with 5:44 to play in the game on an Emily Mescher layup. But the Polar Bears never drew closer.
Northern will look to get back on track Saturday when it travels to Marietta. Northern dominated the Pioneers 84-56 Jan. 18 in Ada.
