GRANVILLE, Ohio — The No. 8 Denison women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 84–68 win over Wittenberg on Tuesday night inside Livingston Gymnasium. Locked in a tight battle at halftime, the Big Red pulled away with a dominant 32-point third quarter, highlighted by a season-high performance from Ada Taute and a career night from Anelly Mad-toingué, to secure their 17th straight victory and remain undefeated.

First Quarter: The game opened with a back-and-forth battle as both teams exchanged baskets early. Wittenberg briefly held the advantage, but  Taute's layup midway through the quarter kept the score tight at 7–6. After the Tigers pushed the lead with consecutive points, Violet Mitchell knocked down a wide-open three to pull the Big Red within three with under four minutes remaining. Wittenberg responded with a three of its own, but Taute closed the quarter with back-to-back points to keep Denison within reach, trailing 18–13.

Second Quarter: The Tigers maintained a slim advantage throughout the second quarter as Denison steadily chipped away to keep the deficit manageable. Just before halftime, Ada Taute converted a layup to tie the game at 33–33, but Wittenberg answered with a quick three-pointer to regain a 36–33 lead heading into the break.

Third Quarter: The Big Red opened the third quarter with a 12–3 run to seize their first lead of the game and never looked back. Back-to-back three-pointers from Isabelle McFadden and Mitchell at the midway point fueled the surge and pushed Denison ahead 51–43. Wittenberg answered with a three to cut into the margin, but McFadden responded from deep to give the Big Red a double-digit lead at 62–52. Abby Cooch capped the dominant 32-point quarter by knocking down free throws, sending Denison into the final period up 65–54. 

Fourth Quarter: The Big Red stayed hot to open the final quarter as Taute scored on a layup before Cooch drilled a three-pointer to extend the lead to 14 with 7:12 remaining, 70–54. Taute followed with back-to-back buckets in the paint, further widening the gap. Wittenberg attempted to mount a comeback, but Denison sealed the win at the free-throw line to close out an 84–68 victory.

Top Performers: 

• Ada Taute paced the Big Red with season-high 23 points, eight rebounds, and a steal.
• Abby Cooch added 16 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal, while shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.
• Violet Mitchell chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals
• Anelly Mad-toingué dominated the glass with a career-high 21 rebounds to go along with six points, three blocks, an assist, and a flawless 2-for-2 performance at the line.