The 10th-Ranked and Top-Seeded Baldwin Wallace Women Beat Otterbein,
72-60, to Advance to OAC Championship Game
BEREA, OHIO — Sophomore guard Alyson Cotter (Salem) scored a career-high 22 points and senior guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) tied a career-high with as the 10th-ranked and top-seeded Baldwin Wallace University women’s basketball team defeated Otterbein College, 72-60, in an Ohio Athletic Conference semifinal game in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea. It is the third straight year that BW and Otterbein have met in the semifinals and second consecutive season that BW has eliminated the Cardinals.
With its win, BW is now 24-2 overall advances to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday, Feb. 25 and will play either third-seeded Wilmington College or second-seeded Capital University at home at 3:00 p.m. It is the ninth time in the past 10 years that BW has advanced to the OAC title game, winning four crowns (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005). BW also is this year's OAC regular season champion and the defending OAC Tournament champion.
In addition, the Yellow Jackets also swept Otterbein, 3-0, in the season series, and have beaten the Cardinals six straight times dating back to a loss in the OAC tourney semifinals in 2004. Otterbein ended its season at 19-8 overall.
In the first half, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead at the 14:51 mark when junior forward Jessica Latimer (Brooklyn) scored on a layup. BW increased its lead to as many as 15 points at 39-24 when Cotter canned a jumper at the buzzer.
In the second half, BW increased its lead to 16 points at 46-30 with 16:18 left when junior forward Michelle White (Hudson) canned a pair of foul shots. Then Otterbein went on a 10-0 run to get as close as six points at 46-40 with 11:53 left when sophomore guard Sara Fee made a pair of foul shots. Undaunted BW returned the lead to double figures when Cotter canned a trey and Altenweg hit three straight triples on three consecutive possessions and the Yellow Jackets coasted the rest of the way and into the OAC finals.
In addition to Altenweg and Cotter for BW, freshman guard Amanda Mondrach scored 14 points.
Otterbein was led by freshman guard Laura Roth with 12 points and Fee had 10.
The winner of the 2006 OAC Championship Game receives the OAC's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Division III Tournament which begins on March 1.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact BW 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. To contact Head Coach Cheri Harrer, please call her at 440-826-3299, via FAX at 440-826-2192 or via e-mail at charrer@bw.edu.
Game Notes vs. Otterbein
The Baldwin Wallace University YELLOW JACKET women's basketball team will play host to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Otterbein College in an OAC Tournament semifinal game on Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea, Ohio. The winner advances to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday, February 25 and will play either Capital University or Wilmington College at 3:00 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed.
RADIO -- All Yellow Jacket women's basketball OAC Tournament games are broadcast by campus radio station WBW, 88.3 FM, and via the WBW Internet Web site at www.wBW.com. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
Baldwin Wallace University
LOCATION: Berea, Ohio
NICKNAME: Yellow Jackets
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 23-3
OAC RECORD: 17-1
LAST GAME: Beat Heidelberg, 80-47, on Feb. 21, in Berea
HEAD COACH: Cheri Harrer
BW RECORD: 324-117
YEAR AT BW: 16th
CAREER RECORD: same as above
SERIES RECORD: BW leads, 39-21
SERIES STREAK: BW, won five straight
LAST MEETING: Feb. 4, 2006 in Westerville
WHO WON: BW won, 77-59
SERIES BEGAN: 1974-75, BW won, 50-49.
OTTERBEIN COLLEGE
LOCATION: Westerville, Ohio
NICKNAME: Cardinals
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 19-7
OAC RECORD: 12-6
LAST GAME: Beat John Carroll, 89-81, on Feb. 21 in Westerville.
HEAD COACH: Connie Richardson
OC RECORD: 209-175
YEAR AT OC: 15th
CAREER RECORD: same as above
The Pregame Setup -- The top-seeded Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team will look to advance to its ninth Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game in the last 10 years when it faces fourth-seeded Otterbein College in an OAC Tournament semifinal game in the Ursprung Gym in Berea. BW is the defending OAC tourney champ.
The Yellow Jackets enter this game with a 23-3 overall record and captured the OAC regular season title with a 17-1 mark. BW last played on Tuesday (Feb. 21) when it beat Heidelberg College, 80-47, in Berea in the first round of the tourney. The Jackets' have won 14 of their last 15 games played.
Otterbein enters this game with a 19-7 overall record and had a 12-6 OAC regular season mark. Otterbein last played on Tuesday when it beat John Carroll University, 89-81, in the first round of the OAC Tournament at the Rike Center in Westerville. The Cardinals have won two straight games and five of their last eight games played.
The Baldwin Wallace versus Otterbein All-Time Series Information -- This is the 61st all-time meeting between Baldwin Wallace University and Otterbein College in women's basketball. BW leads the all-time series, 39-21 and has won five straight games against the Cardinals, including both meetings this season. The Yellow Jackets won the first meeting this season by a score of 91-80 on December 3, 2005 in Berea, and then beat Otterbein, 77-59 in Westerville on February 4, 2006. The last Cardinal win came in the 2004 OAC Tournament semifinals in Berea when they beat BW, 59-56.
The Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament -- Tonight is the semifinal round of the OAC Tournament and the winner of this game will face the winner of the second-seeded Capital University versus third-seeded Wilmington College game in the 2006 OAC Championship Game on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 p.m. The winner of the OAC Tournament receives the OAC's automatic berth in this year's NCAA Division III National Tournament.
In the First Meeting This Season Between BW and Otterbein: Baldwin Wallace -- 91, Otterbein-- 80 in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium on December 3, 2005 in Berea, Ohio -- In the first meeting this season, on Saturday, December 3, 2005 in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium Berea, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Cardinals, 91-80. Leading the way in victory was junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC forward Michelle White (Hudson) who had a solid all-around game and led six BW players in double figures with 19 points. Laura Roth of Otterbein tied White for game-high scoring honors with 19 points.
In the Second Meeting This Season Between BW and Otterbein: Baldwin Wallace -- 77, Otterbein -- 59 in the Rike Center on February 4 in Westerville, Ohio -- In the second meeting this season, the Yellow Jackets defeated Otterbein, 77-59, at the Rike Center in Westerville on February 4, 2006. In victory, freshman guard Amanda Mondrach (Parma/ Holy Name) led BW with a career-high 22 points. In addition, senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC point guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) scored 13 points and Michelle White and sophomore forward Carly Flowers (North Baltimore) each scored 10 points. Otterbein's Fara Fee tied Mondrach for game-high scoring honors with 22 points.
BW Information and Probable Starters -- Look for Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer to start 5'7" Nikki Altenweg at the point guard position and in the backcourt along with 5'9" Michelle White and 5'8" Amanda Mondrach. On the inside, look for 5'8" sophomore Stacia Shrider (Marietta/ Warren Local) to start alongside 6'0" senior All-OAC center Jenn Neal (Mentor). Altenweg scores a team-leading 10.4 points per game and grabs 3.7 rebounds per game. She also has a team-leading 69 assists and 64 steals and shoots 46.0 percent from three-point range. White scores 7.7 ppg. and grabs 2.8 rpg. Mondrach scores 10.1 ppg. and grabs 3.2 rpg. Shrider scores 4.8 ppg. and grabs 4.1 rpg. Neal scores 6.3 ppg., grabs 3.2 rpg. and has blocked a team-leading 16 shots.
Harrer's bench is deep, so look for 5'6" junior guard Steffani Jaworski (Parma/ Padua Fransiscan), 5'11" sophomore swing player Alyson Cotter (Salem), junior 5'8" forward Jessica Latimer (Brooklyn) and 5'10" Carly Flowers all to see action as veterans. They will be joined by 5'6" freshman guard Jessica Butzer (Orrville) and 5'8" freshman guard Leah Mottayaw (Mansfield/ Madison) and 5'5" point guard Rachael Quiring (Brunswick/ Parma Hts. Holy Name). Jaworski scores 5.2 ppg. and has a team-leading 26 three-pointers Cotter scores 6.7 ppg. and grabs 3.4 rpg. Latimer scores 7.1 ppg. and grabs 3.8 rpg. Mottayaw scores 4.4 ppg. Butzer has played in the last 11 games and scores 3.4 ppg.
Scouting the Cardinals of Otterbein -- Look for veteran Head Coach Connie Richardson to start a four guard lineup with 5'8" senior Abbey Perez at the point, 5'7" freshman Laura Roth at the off-guard, and 5'9" sophomore Sara Fee and 5'8" freshman Sarah Esterkamp at the wings. In the middle, 5'11" graduate student Danielle Holbrook will get the nod. Holbrook is the leading scorer at 15.1 points per game and grabs a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per contest. She also shoots 53 percent from the floor (141-of-255) and has a team-leading 40 blocked shots and 35 steals. Perez scores 10.4 ppg., grabs 3.9 rpg. and tops the team with 116 assists and 65 steals. Roth scores 12.2 ppg., grabs 3.1 rpg., tops the team with 38 three-pointers and also has contributed 94 assists and 60 steals. Esterkamp scores 9.9 ppg., grabs 7.3 rpg. and has 48 assists and 30 steals. Fee contributes 9.3 ppg. and grabs 3.8 rpg.
Off the bench, Connie Richardson has a very deep squad. Look for Richardson to play 6'1" junior post player Laura Roman, 5'10" sophomore wing Ana Gamble, 5'7" senior guard Michelle Keeney, 5'8" junior guard Amanda Fisher, 5'10" junior guard/forward Janel Iden, and 5'7" sophomore center Chelsea Callif. Keeney scores 5.0 ppg. and is second on the team with 32 three-pointers. In addition, Gamble scores 9.0 ppg. and has 14 treys. Roman scores 8.7 ppg. and grabs 5.0 rpg.
In BW's Last Game, OAC Quarterfinal Versus Heidelberg College: Baldwin Wallace -- 80, Heidelberg -- 47 on February 21 in the Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea, Ohio -- In its last game, BW defeated Heidelberg, 80-47, in the first and quarterfinal round of the OAC Tournament in the Ursprung Gym in Berea on Tuesday (Feb. 21). In victory, BW was led by sophomore forward Carly Flowers with a career-high 14 points and senior All-OAC center senior Jenn Neal with 14 points and four rebounds. Keys to the Yellow Jacket win included making 55 percent of their field goal attempts (33-of-60), 73.3 percent of their foul shots (11-of-15), outrebounding the Student Princes, 41-36, and causing 22 Heidelberg turnovers.
In Otterbein's Last Game, OAC Quarterfinal Versus John Carroll University: Otterbein -- 89, John Carroll -- 81 on February 21 in the Rike Center in Westerville, Ohio -- In its last game, Otterbein defeated John Carroll, 89-81, in the first and quarterfinal round of the OAC Tournament in the Rike Center in Westerville on Tuesday (Feb. 21). In victory, Otterbein had four scorers in double-figures led by freshman gaurd Laura Roth with 20 points and five assists. In addition, freshman forward Sarah Estercamp scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Graduate student Danielle Holbrook and senior Abbey Perez each chipped in with 14 points. Keys to the Cardinal win included shooting 54.1 percent from the floor (33-of-61), 76 percent from the foul line (19-of-25) and passing for 19 assists in 33 made baskets.
Yellow Jacket Chatter
The OAC Regular Season Title -- BW has won six of the past eight Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles, including three straight. This is the first OAC outright title for BW since 2000-2001.
The Defending Champions -- BW is the defending OAC Tournament champion. The Yellow Jackets have won four of the last seven OAC Tournament crowns, including three straight (1999, 2000 and 2001).
Ten Straight 20-Win Seasons for the Jackets -- The BW women have 10 straight seasons with 20 or more victories. Head Coach Cheri Harrer's team is 241-43 during that time span for an amazing .849 winning percentage.
Nikki Altenweg Named ESPN MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV -- Nikki Altenweg (Perry) has been named as a second-team ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV player. Altenweg carries a 3.6 grade point average in mathematics and intends to teach and coach basketball following graduation. She currently stands third all-time in school history in steals with 223 and assists with 339. Altenweg also has 833 career points and 313 career rebounds.
Jenn Neal is BW's All-Time Leader in Blocked Shots -- Senior All-OAC center Jenn Neal (Mentor) is the school's all-time leader with 98 blocked shots. Overall, Neal has 673 career points and 364 career rebounds.
Cheri Harrer is the Winningest Women's Coach in BW History -- Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer is the winningest women's basketball coach in BW history with 324 victories. Harrer is 324-117 in her career with a .735 winning percentage and is in her 16th season at BW.
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 BW SID Kevin Ruple by phone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. BW 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.