Written by Athletic Communications Student Assistant Colin West '27

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The No. 16 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace women's basketball team defeated Otterbein University by a score of 64-55 inside the Rike Center.

Tonight marks the Yellow Jackets' ninth straight win this season and their 23rd straight conference win dating back to last season.

BW Leaders (12-2)

• Junior guard Ava Wilkerson (West Mansfield/Marysville) led BW with 12 points
• Senior guard Leah Riley (Cincinnati/Sycamore) scored 11 points and led the Yellow Jackets with five assists, while tying for the team lead in rebounds with five
• Junior guard Taylor Bass (Strongsville) added 11 points
• Senior forward Brooke Thompson (Maineville/Little Miami) recorded a team-high two blocks

Otterbein Leaders (9-4)

• Sophomore forward Mattie Walburn paced the Cardinals in scoring with 14
• Freshman center Cameron Sparks secured a game-high 10 rebounds
• Junior guard Abby Rawlings distributed seven assists

1st Quarter (BW 17-11)

• Junior guard Laura McCoy (Newton Falls/Garrettsville Garfield) made a layup for the first points of the game
• BW pulled ahead early with an 11-2 run, highlighted by three-pointers by Wilkerson, Riley, and senior guard Kaycie Badylak (Cincinnati/Archbishop Nichols)
• McCoy knocked down a contested jumper to beat the buzzer at the end of the quarter

2nd Quarter (BW 28-27)

• The Brown and Gold bolstered their lead with an 8-2 run to begin the half
• Otterbein responded with a 12-0 run from 4:03 to 1:08, knotting the game at 25
• Wilkerson drained a three from the top of the key to break the tie
• Wilkerson paced the Yellow Jackets in first-half points with eight

3rd Quarter (BW 51-37)

• Bass made two three-pointers during a 12-2 BW run midway through the quarter
• BW outscored the Cardinals 23-10 and went 9-12 from the field in the third quarter
• Four different Yellow Jackets made a three-pointer in the third quarter: Bass, Badylak, Riley, and Thompson

4th Quarter (BW 64-55)

• BW held their lead throughout the entire quarter as the Cardinals never got closer than eight points
• Free throws by Bass, Riley, and senior guard Alyssa Miller (New Philadelphia) secured the victory for BW
• The Brown and Gold did not allow Otterbein to take a lead the entire game

Up Next

• The Yellow Jackets return home to take on Heidelberg University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14 inside Ursprung Gymnasium. Fans can catch all the action on FloCollege.