Ohio Wesleyan didn't trail the entire 40 minutes of action and had three starters post double figures en route to a 76-69 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Denison University on Sunday afternoon in Granville.
The Battling Bishops led the entire first half thanks in large part to a 63 percent (17-of-27) performance from the field, and a 4-of-7 outing from behind the arc. Trailing 43-33 early in the second frame, the Big Red slowly chipped away at the deficit and eventually trimmed the margin to four (49-45) with 12:36 to play on a deep three-point freshman point guard Serafina Nuzzo (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick). OWU was able to rebuild a 52-45 edge, but a 10-3 run by DU tied the contest at 55-all with just under eight minutes to play. The run spanned roughly three and a half minutes and was capped off by a jumper by Nuzzo.
Ohio Wesleyan responded with a 6-0 burst of their own to retake a 61-55 lead, but the Big Red answered with a small run of their own to tie the game back up at 61-61 with 4:21 to play in regulation.
Kayla Gordon helped Ohio Wesleyan jump back out to a four-point lead with a layup and pair of free throws. OWU hit 7-of-12 free throws over the final 1:44 to secure their 15th victory of the season.
The Bishop shot 48 percent from the field, while DU hit 42 percent from the floor. Denison held a 46-30 advantage on the glass, and scored 44 points in the paint compared to 34 by OWU. The Big Red also tallied 23 second chance points.
Nuzzo tied her career-high of 19 points and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds, while junior Shaina Kaiser (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) also chipped in 19 tallies in 37 minutes of action for Denison.
Tyler Cordell finished the day with a game-high 23 points and eight assists, while Pam Quigney and Gordon each recorded 19 tallies. Gordon also pulled down a team-high seven boards.
OWU improves to 15-6 overall and 10-2 in the NCAC, while Denison falls to 15-6 on the year and 7-5 in the league. DU returns to action on Wednesday (Feb. 10) when they travel to Earlham College. Tip-off in Richmond, Ind. is slated for 7:30 p.m.
