GRANVILLE, Ohio – Junior forward Erin Reynolds (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) scored a career-high 16 points as the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team defeated Allegheny College (Pa.) by a score of 76-67 in a thrilling first game of the Denison Classic on Saturday afternoon at Livingtson Gymnasium.

Along with Reynolds, sophomore post Laura Mummey (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) added 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds for the Spartans, who improve their record to 4-3 for the year.

With the loss, Allegheny falls to 4-2 overall.

In the first half, the Spartans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in their first two possessions before the advantage shifted back-and-forth. Allegheny took a four-point lead at the 11:47 mark before Case rattled off a strong run to close out the opening period with a 43-31 lead.

Reynolds and Laura Mummey were each perfect from the field in the first half, as Reynolds went 6-of-6 with 14 points and Mummey shot 4-of-4 for eight points. As a team, the Spartans shot 58.1% (18-of-31) from the field and 42.9% (3-of-7) from beyond the arc in the opening period.

Following the break, Case extended its lead to 14, the largest of the game, at the 17:17 mark when junior wing Brooke Orcutt (Morrison, Colo./Dakota Ridge) scored a fast-break layup to make the score 47-33.

Allegheny pulled within one around the 11-minute mark, but senior guard Julie Mooney (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) hit a jumper, and Mummey added a layup at 10:43 to increase the Spartan lead back to 56-51.

Again the Gators came within a point of the Spartans at 60-59 with 5:43 left in the game. This time, Case scored three quick points when junior point guard Amanda Germer (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) made one of two free throws, and freshman guard Jessica McCoy (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) followed up on the rebound of the second.  

Allegheny would take the lead with under four minutes to go when it scored seven unanswered points to take a 66-63 lead.

Following a timeout, Case would close out the game on a 10-1 run including four points by Orcutt and a crucial three-pointer by McCoy which gave the Spartans a lead that they would not relinquish. Clutch baskets by Germer and junior forward Berit Eppard (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) sealed the victory for Case.

Rachel Vigliotti led Allegheny with 16 points.

Case takes on Denison University tomorrow, Sunday, December 1, at 3:00 p.m. to conclude the Denison Classic.