SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Kasey Schipfer scored a game-high 23 points to lead three players in double-figures as the No. 10 Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies 61-42 in a non-conference women's basketball game during the 2024 Puerto Rico Classico at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza Thursday evening.
Schipfer was 8-for-16 from the field, and had 10 rebounds to secure the double-double. Macy Miller added 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Elizabeth Homan tossed in 10 points.
Southern Maine junior
Vanessa Vaughan (Hantsport, Nova Scotia/King's Edge Hill Academy) led the Huskies with 17 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Vaughan was 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from three-point range. Freshman
Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) continued her strong play at the tournament with nine points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore
Lita Guslens (Ikškile, Latvia/Riga State Gymnasium No. 3) had six points, a team-high eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in a solid performance off of the bench.
The Records:
Southern Maine (4-7, 0-2 LEC)
No. 10 Ohio Wesleyan (8-2, 1-0 NCAC)
SERIES HISTORY: Today's game marked the first meeting between the Huskies and the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops.
How It Happened:
- After Ohio Wesleyan scored the first bucket of the game, a three-pointer, Southern Maine went on a 15-3 run to lead the 10th ranked Battling Bishops 15-6 with 2:38 to play in the first quarter. Shipley had all nine of her points in the run. Facing a nine-point deficit, Ohio Wesleyan rattled off nine consecutive points to head into the second quarter tied at 15-15. Ohio Wesleyan was 3-for-3 during the stretch and 2-for-2 from the free throw line to tie up the game.
- Ohio Wesleyan stayed hot to start the second quarter and scored 13 unanswered points, extending its run to 22-0, and snagging a 28-15 lead over the Huskies on a layup from Homan with 3:28 left in the half. Held scoreless a majority of the second quarter, USM got on the board with a layup from Guslens at the 2:12 mark to make it 28-17. The Huskies closed out the quarter on a 6-2 spurt to trim the deficit to 30-21 at the break. USM was 0-8 from the field prior to Guslens bucket.
- The Huskies battled in the third quarter and trailed by eight, 39-31, with 3:15 remaining in the frame following a traditional three-point play from Vaughan on a layup and a free throw. Closing out the quafter, Ohio Wesleyan responded with a 8-4 run to push its lead back into double-digits, 47-35, headed into the fourth. Vaughan scored 12 of the Huskies 14 points in the third quarter.
- Vaughan continued to keep the Huskies in the game scoring a layup to start the fourth and make it a 10-point game, 47-37, but the Battling Bishops outscored the Huskies 11-3 over the next 4:33 of play to lead 58-40, with just over five minutes left in the game. Schipfer and Miller each had four points for Ohio Wesleyan in the run. Neither team generated much offense in the final 3:30 of action and Ohio Wesleyan took the win 61-42.
Inside The Stats:
- Southern Maine shot 34.1 percent (14-for-41) from the field and 27.8 percent (5-for-18) from three-point range. Ohio Wesleyan shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) and 30.8 from three (4-for-13).
- The Battling Bishops led in rebounding 36-27, and had a 14-5 edge in offensive boards. Ohio Wesleyan scored 21 second-chance points compared to the Huskies' five, and scored 22 points off of turnovers. USM committed 27 turnovers to Ohio Wesleyan's 14.
Up Next:
Southern Maine returns to action at home on Saturday, January 4 (1:00 pm) against Little East opponent Keene State College, and then host UMass Boston on Wednesday, January 8 (5:30 pm).
-cac-
