Tuesday: Cru-stmas break

More news about: Illinois Wesleyan | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Washington and Jefferson
Dec 17, 2024
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the comeback victory for Rachel Okoye and Mary Hardin-Baylor over No. 2 Wartburg.
Photo by University of Mary Hardin-Baylor athletics

Mary Hardin-Baylor rallied from a 19-point deficit to snap No. 2 Wartburg's winning streak while No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan rolled into the holidays by rolling over No. 18 Chicago. On the men’s side, Washington and Jefferson scored an upset over a ranked regional rival that was nearly 25 years in the making.

Mary Hardin-Baylor dominated Wartburg in the second half and turned a double-digit deficit into a 67-62 win over the visiting Knights on Tuesday afternoon.

Wartburg jumped out to a 19-point lead early in the second quarter and held a 16-point advantage with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Crusaders ended that period with 10 straight points and then scored the first seven of the fourth quarter, with Jaycie Briscoe’s three-pointer putting Mary Hardin-Baylor in front 54-53. After Wartburg made a three, Brisco keyed another 8-0 run with another three, and the Cru led the rest of the way.

Brisco posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Rachel Okoye scored 22 for Mary Hardin-Baylor (8-2).  Sara Faber notched 22 points for Wartburg (8-1), which will try to rebound against East Texas Baptist on Wednesday.

No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan finished a phenomenal first semester with a 71-52 victory at home over No. 18 Chicago.

The Titans took a 10-point lead with a 12-2 run midway through the first period and then gradually built their lead from there. Four free throws from Lauren Huber and Ava Bardic pushed the Titans’ advantage to 16 points midway through the third period, and Kate Palmer scored four straight points in an 11-0 surge that put IWU in front by 23.

The Titans converted 25 Maroons’ turnovers into 30 points and outscored Chicago 40-22 in the paint. Huber scored 21 points for Illinois Wesleyan (9-0), which picked up its fourth win of the season over a ranked opponent.

No. 4 Scranton won its annual showdown with DeSales, 59-37, by playing stellar defense and dominating the boards. The Lady Royals held the Bulldogs to 14 field goals against 14 turnovers and outrebounded DeSales, 47-26. Kaeli Romanowski and Kaci Kranson scored 16 points apiece for Scranton (9-0).

Outside the Top 25, Carly Perusek scored seven points in overtime and John Carroll edged St. Benedict in Puerto Rico, 63-59. After the Bennies took a three-point lead, Perusek evened the score at 57 with a three-point play. She made four free throws and Brooke Laub sank two more to give the Blue Streaks’ their eighth win of the season.

On the men’s side, Washington and Jefferson made the short trip into Pittsburgh and knocked off No. 19. Carnegie Mellon, 84-73. Justin Allen poured in 36 points for Carnegie Mellon, but the Presidents had a 36-8 bench scoring advantage, thanks to 20 points by Michael Plasko and 12 more from Cameron Rowell. The victory is W&J’s first over a ranked opponent since the Presidents beat Wooster in November 2008 and its first over CMU since the 2000-01 season.

Otterbein outlasted Marietta 77-70 in double overtime and pushed its conference record to 2-1 heading into the holiday break. Marietta closed regulation on a 14-0 run that sent the game to the first extra period, where Cam Evans hit two free throws for Otterbein and forced a second overtime. Evans had a 7-0 run in double overtime and finished with a game high 26 points for Otterbein (5-3, 2-1 OAC).