BEREA, Ohio – The No. 17 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team defeated No. 19 nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) University in the 2024 Baldwin Wallace Invitational Championship Game by a final score of 70-51 in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center. 

BW (9-1) hands Carnegie Mellon (10-1) their first loss of the season in a Top-25 matchup as the Yellow Jackets sweep the home tournament to close the first half of the 2024-25 campaign. After the tournament, senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference forward Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg) was named to the 2024 Baldwin Wallace Invitational All-Tournament Team while senior guard/forward Caely Ressler (Napoleon) was named the Baldwin Wallace Invitational Most Valuable Player.

BW Leaders

• Ressler exploded for a career-high 24 points including 22 in the second half while shooting 5-for-9 from three and adding six rebounds 
• Vaillant recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds
• Senior All-OAC guard Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial) tied a career-high six assists
• Sophomore guard Kayla Jones (Grove City) finished with eight points and four rebounds
• Junior Academic All-OAC guard/forward Alyssa Miller (New Philadelphia) corralled seven rebounds and added five points

Carnegie Mellon Leaders

• Senior guard Catherine Or had a team-high 21 points to earn her a spot on the BW Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Senior guard Anisha Chintala added 14 points and was also named to the All-Tournament Team
• Senior guard Isha Nambisan grabbed eight rebounds

1st Quarter (BW 15-13)

• Miller and Vaillant each scored four points to get the Jackets out to a hot start
• Vaillant single-handedly outrebounded the Tartans 6-4

2nd Quarter (CMU 29-24)

• Jones scored five of the Yellow Jackets' nine points in the quarter
• Or scored 10 points including five to end the half for Carnegie Mellon

3rd Quarter (BW 49-40)

• At the 6:28 mark, Miller found Irwin for a wide-open three to spark a 13-6 run to close the quarter

4th Quarter (BW 70-51)

• Ressler drained three threes in part of her 12 points in the quarter 
• BW shot 62.5% from beyond the arc and 50% from the floor

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, January 4 as they host Capital University in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup and the first game of a women's and men's doubleheader at 1 p.m. in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.