College, 81-59, to Win OAC Title and Get an NCAA Bid
BEREA, OHIO — Junior guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) and freshman forward Cara Shiplett (Canal Fulton/ Northwest) each scored 12 points tonight (Saturday, February 26, 2005) as the second-seeded Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team defeated top-seed and host Wilmington College, 81-59, to win the 2005 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington. The OAC Tournament title is B-W's fourth in the past seven years.
With its win, B-W is now 23-5 overall and earns the OAC's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Division III National Tournament. The NCAA berth is B-W's seventh in the past nine years. With its loss, Wilmington is now 23-5 overall and must wait until tomorrow to see if it will receive an NCAA tourney At-Large bid so it can defend its 2004 Division III national title. B-W also tied the all-time series with Wilmington at 9-9.
In the first half, there would be six lead changes and three ties. B-W would take the lead for good at 14-13 with 11:46 left in the first half on a jumper by Shiplett. The Yellow Jackets would lead by as many as 14 points at 37-23 with 1:48 remaining before halftime on a layup by freshman forward Carly Flowers (North Baltimore). B-W lead at the break, 37-25.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets would increase their lead to as many as 23 at 60-37 with 9:11 left to go in the game on a successful three-pointer by freshman Ashley Westenbarger (McComb). The Quakers would pull to within 13 at 66-53 with 3:52 remaing thanks to a jumper by Shawna Thomas. Wilmington would fail to get any closer as the Yellow Jackets went on to win by the score of 81-59.
Joining Altenweg and Shiplett in double figures for B-W were junior forward Jenn Neal (Mentor) and Westenbarger each scoring 10 points. Westenbarger shot a perfect four-of-four from the field including two three-pointers.
Wilmington was led by Siobhan Zerilla who scored a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Balser scored 13 points and Katie Streck added 10.
Tomorrow night, Sunday, Feb. 27, the NCAA will announce the pairings for the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The B-W men's team also won its OAC Championship game, defeating OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University 82-77. It is the first time in OAC history that both the men's and women's basketball teams from the same school won an OAC Tournament Championship.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.
Game Notes #28 vs. Wilmington
The second-seeded BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE YELLOW JACKET women's basketball team will travel to Wilmington, Ohio on Saturday, February 26, 2005 to play the Wilmington College Quakers in the championship game of the 2005 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament at the Fred Raizk Arena at 7:30 p.m. The winning team receives the OAC's automatic berth in the 2005 NCAA Division III National Tournament.
RADIO -- All home and away Yellow Jacket women's basketball games are broadcast on campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, and over the College internet web site at www.bw.edu/athletics. The game also could be carried LIVE on the WBWC web site at www.wbwc.com. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
LOCATION: Berea, Ohio
NICKNAME: Yellow Jackets
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2004-2005 Record: 22-5
OAC RECORD: 16-2 (OAC Co-Champs)
LAST GAME: Beat Otterbein, 75-69, on Feb. 24, 2005 in Berea
HEAD COACH: Cheri Harrer
B-W RECORD: 300-113
YEAR AT B-W: 15th
CAREER RECORD: same
LAST MEETING: WC won 75-56, on Jan. 22, 2005 in Wilmington
SERIES STREAK: WC, one
SERIES BEGAN: 1988-89, B-W won, 64-61.
SERIES RECORD: WC leads, 9-8
WILMINGTON COLLEGE
LOCATION: Wilmington, Ohio
NICKNAME: Quakers
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2004-2005 Record: 23-4
OAC RECORD: 16-2 (OAC Co-Champs)
LAST GAME: Beat Capital, 71-53, on Feb. 24 in Wilmington
HEAD COACH: Jerry Scheve
WC RECORD: 287-110
YEAR AT WC: 15th
CAREER RECORD: same
PREGAME NOTES -- The Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team will look to win its 11th straight game, its 17th in its last 18 contests this season and its fourth Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title in the last seven years when it travels to Wilmington, Ohio to play the Wilmington College Quakers in the championship game of the 2005 OAC Tournament. The winner of this game receives the OAC's automatic berth in this year's NCAA Division III National Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets enter this game with a 22-5 overall record and are seeded second in the OAC Tournament. B-W and Wilmington tied for the 2005 OAC regular season title as each team finished 16-2 and beat the other on its home court. B-W enters this game following a 75-69 victory against Otterbein College in the semifinals on Thursday at the Rudloph Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea.
The Quakers enter this game at 23-4 overall and are seeded first. They won a coin flip with B-W last Saturday to decide the seeds. That coin flip also gave Wilmington the home court advantage. The Quakers last played on Thursday when they beat Capital University, 71-53, in the semifinals at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington.
The Baldwin-Wallace versus Wilmington College All-Time Series Information -- This is the 18th all-time meeting between B-W and Wilmington in women's basketball. The Quakers lead the series, 9-8, including a 75-56 victory in the second meeting this season in Wilmington on January 22, 2005. The Yellow Jackets won the first meeting of the season, 84-56, on January 8 in Berea. In the first-ever meeting in 1988-89, B-W won, 64-61. B-W and Wilmington have also played twice in the NCAA Division III National mTournament and split those games.
B-W and Wilmington Equal the OAC Champion the Last Seven Years -- B-W and Wilmington have combined to win the past six OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles. Now the question is which team will win the title in year seven, 2005.
National Rankings -- Wilmington is ranked 21st in this week's USA TODAY/ ESPN/ WBCA Coaches poll and listed among the "Others Receiving Votes" in this week's D3hoops.com internet web site national Division III poll. B-W also is listed among the "Others Receiving Votes" in the D3hoops.com poll, but is not ranked by the WBCA.
The Results From the OAC Quarterfinals -- In Tuesday's quarterfinal games, the top four seeded teams all won. Top-seeded Wilmington College beat Heidelberg College, 79-61, at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington. Second-seeded B-W beat ONU, 72-58 in Berea. Third-seeded Otterbein beat John Carroll University, 76-68, at the Rike Center in Westerville. Fourth-seeded Capital University beat Marietta College, 71-53, at The Capital Center in Bexley.
The Yellow Jacket Probable Starters and Players Who Will Come Off the Bench and Play -- Look for Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer to start 5'7" junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC point guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) and 5'10" freshman guard Ashley Westenbarger (McComb) in the backcourt. On the inside, look for Harrer to start 5'9" sophomore Michelle White (Hudson) and 5'10" freshman Cara Shiplett (Canal Fulton/ Northwest) at the forward positions and 6'0" junior Jenn Neal (Mentor) at the center position. Shiplett and Altenweg are tied for the team lead in scoring at 10.6 ppg. Shiplett leads the team in rebounding with 4.9 rpg. and is second with in steals with 30. She is also canning 49.5 percent of her field goals (109-of-220). Altenweg tops the team in assists with 103 and steals with 68. Westenbarger is scoring 6.8 ppg. and is second with 60 assists and is fourth with 26 steals. Neal is scoring 8.1 ppg. and grabs 4.2 rpg. and tops the team with 24 blocked shots. White scores 7.2 ppg. and is second with 4.6 rpg.
Off the bench, look for Harrer to play as many as seven players, depending on the opponent and matchups. Look for 5'6" sophomore guard Steffani Jaworski (Parma/Padua), 5'4" sophomore guard Kelly Williams (Canfield), 5'9" freshman forward Stacia Shrider (Marietta/ Warren Local), 5'10" freshman guard/ forward Alyson Cotter (Salem/ Senior), 5'8" sophomore forward Jessica Latimer (Brooklyn), 5'7" sophomore guard Kristin Matushevski (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) and 5'11" freshman forward Carly Flowers (North Baltimore). Jaworski is third on the team in scoring,averaging 8.9 ppg. and leads the team with 45 three-pointers.
The Wilmington Probable Starters and Players Who Will Come Off the Bench and Play -- Look for Wilmington Head Coach Jerry Scheve to start 5"5" sophomore Sam Hood, 5'11" junior Courtney Balser, and 5'9" freshman guard/ forward Katie Streck. On the inside, 5'8" senior Siobhan Zerilla and 5'11" sophomore Erica Smith will start. Balser tops the team in scoring at 12.2 ppg. and is second on the team with 31 three-pointers. Zerilla is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg. and is first in rebounding at 10.9 rpg. and tied for second in steals with 26. She is also second on the team, canning 53.7 percent of her field goals (110 of 205). Hood is fifth in scoring at 6.2 ppg. and tops the team with 119 assists and is third in three-pointers with 27. Streck is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 ppg., second in rebounding at 5.7 rpg., and is first in blocked shots with 15. She is also shooting a team-leading 56.4 percent from the floor (115-of-204). Smith is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.7 ppg. and has 39 treys.
Off the bench, look for Coach Scheve to play 5'6" junior Shawna Thomas, 5'10" sophomore Kelly Peters, 5'5" point guard freshman Jackie Hauke, 5'11" forward sophomore Kara Robinson and 5'5" freshman guard Anne Haky. Peters and Thomas are scoring 5.9 and 4.5 ppg., respectively.
In the First Meeting Between B-W and Wilmington, on Jan. 8 in Berea: B-W -- 84, Wilmington -- 56 -- In the first meeting this year between B-W and Wilmington, on Jan. 8 in Berea, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Quakers, 84-56. Freshman forward Stacia Shrider came off the bench to lead B-W in scoring with 11 points and canned a pair of three-pointers. She was supported by sophomore forward Jessica Latimer who also came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six rebounds. B-W led 37-23 at halftime and by as many as 32 points and 14 of 15 Yellow Jackets who saw action scored points. B-W outrebounded Wilmington, 54-35. Freshman Katie Streck led the Quakers with 12 points.
In The Second Meeting This Season Between B-W and Wilmington on January 22, 2005 in Wilmington, Ohio: Wilmington -- 75, Baldwin-Wallace -- 56 -- In the second meeting this season between B-W and Wilmington, the Quakers defeated the Yellow Jackets, 75-56, at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington. The Quakers had four double figure scorers, led by senior forward Siobhan Zerilla with 16 points. Despite the loss, B-W was led by sophomore guard Steffani Jaworski had a team-high 18 points.
In B-W's Last Game on February 24, 2005 versus Otterbein in Berea, Ohio in the OAC Semifinals: Baldwin-Wallace -- 75, Otterbein -- 69 -- In B-W's 75-69 semifinal game win against Otterbein College at the Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea, freshman guard Ashley Westenbarger scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets into the championship game. In addition, sophomore guard Steffani Jaworski had 14 points and three-of-three shooting from three-point range, and junior center Jean Neal had 11 markers.
In Wilmington's Last Game on February 24, 2005 versus Capital in Wilmington, Ohio in the OAC Semifinals: Wilmington -- 71, Capital -- 53 -- In Wilmington's 71-53 semifinal game win againsst Capital University at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington, the Quakers had four double figure scorers, led by freshman forward Katie Streck with 15 points.
Yellow Jacket Chatter
Nikki Altenweg is Among the Top All-Time Assist Markers and Steal Leaders -- Junior point guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) now has 258 career assists and 156 career steals to rank ninth in assists and eighth in steals. Altenweg is three assists from passing Connie Gribben (1986-90) for eighth place. Her 156 steals are eighth and five shy of seventh place and Amy Sander (1991-95).
Cheri Harrer Wins Her 300th Game -- Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer is the winningest women's basketball coach in B-W history with 300 victories and a 300-113 record in 15 seasons at B-W.
OAC Titles and NCAA Excellence --- The Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team won its second straight Ohio Athletic Conference co-title and its fifth OAC regular season title in the last seven years. B-W won OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles in 1999-2000, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. A year ago, B-W tied Capital University for the regular season crown. This year, B-W tied with Wilmington College for the OAC regular season title as each team had a 16-2 record.
In addition, the Yellow Jackets have also advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in seven of the last nine years, including in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 when it advanced to the "Elite Eight" each year.
B-W Has its Ninth Straight 20-Win Season -- The Yellow Jacket women clinched a ninth straight 20-win season in 2004-2005 with their current 22-5 overall record. The nine straight winning seasons is the second longest 20-win streak in OAC women's basketball history.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, Please visit the Baldwin-Wallace Athletics website at www.bw.edu/athletics for up to date results and statistics. For further inquiries, please contact B-W SID Kevin Ruple by phone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. B-W Head Coach Cheri Harrer can be reached by phone at (440) 826-3299, by FAX at (440) 826-2192 or via e-mail at charrer@bw.edu.
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