WOOSTER, Ohio - March 12, 2021 – Three Terriers scored in double figures as Hiram College women's basketball held off a late charge to defeat The College of Wooster Fighting Scots, 76-71, on Friday in their 2021 season opener at Timken Gymnasium.
TT Wright got the scoring started with 9:01 to play in the first quarter, knocking down her first of four made three-pointers in the period. After a bit of back-and-forth action, the Terriers raced out to a double-digit, 12-point lead behind a 10-2 run, holding the Fighting Scots to just two points over four minutes of play.
A late triple by the Fighting Scots cut Hiram's lead to just 11, and the Terriers headed into the second quarter up 20-9.
Wooster made it a five-point game over the first 1:36 of play, before Hiram again took a double-digit lead. Using a 12-0 run, the Terriers extended their lead to 32-17 on
Taylor Valaitis' jumper with 3:11 to play.
The Terriers led by as many as 18 in the second quarter, and took a 17-point, 42-25 lead into the halftime break, following a pair of made free throws by Valaitis.
At the break, Wright led all scorers with 18 points, while
Haley Thompson added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Hiram would extend their lead to 20 on
Alex Lichner's three-pointer with 7:29 to play in the third quarter, it's largest lead of the game, before the Fighting Scots went on a bit of a run.
Over the next six minutes, Wooster closed the gap to single digits as they began to find their range from beyond the arc. But up nine with 1:31 to play,
Madison Branch,
Sam Cain and Lichner all sank buckets down the stretch in the third to give the Terriers a 60-49 lead heading into the final quarter.
But the Fighting Scots continued their charge in the fourth, quickly cutting the deficit to just four, 60-56, with a 7-0 run to start the fourth. Harley Holloway made it a one-point game with a three, but two free throws from Branch brought it back to a three-point lead with 6:29 to play.
Wooster again made it a one-point game, but back-to-back, clutch three-pointers from Lichner gave the Terriers a six-point, 69-63 lead.
Maddie Rakestraw answered a Wooster bucket with a triple of her own, giving the Terriers a 72-65 lead with just over 3:30 to play.
From there, Wooster wouldn't get any closer than a three-point deficit, as Branch knocked down a pair of late jumpers to solidify the 76-71 victory.
Both Wright and Thompson recorded double-doubles, with Wright leading the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Thompson tallied 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Lichner joined the duo in double figures with 16 points and seven boards.
With Wright's 20 points, the senior also moved into sixth all-time in program history in scoring, passing Terri McDivitt `88.
Defensively, Branch and Thompson each recorded three steals, while Wright and Branch tallied a team-high four assists apiece.
Though the Fighting Scots twice came within a point, Hiram never trailed, and out-scored Wooster, 20-10 in second-chance points.
With the win, Hiram moves to 1-0 on the year, while Wooster falls to 0-7.
The Terriers will be back in action on Saturday, March 13 when they wrap up their home-and-home with the Fighting Scots at 6:00 p.m. in Price Gymnasium.
