Box Score In a game that was played much closer than the final score would indicate, the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team nearly pulled off an upset, but ultimately fell on the road to 19th-ranked Marietta College 69-56 on Tuesday night at Ban Johnson Arena in Marietta, Ohio.
The loss dropped the Spartans to 5-2 overall on the season, with each of the team's two losses coming against teams ranked in the top 25 nationally by D3hoops.com. Marietta improved to 3-1 with the win.
The Spartans trailed by just a point after the first quarter, before going on to lead by six points at halftime and by one point at the end of the third period. However, a 1-for-13 shooting performance in the fourth quarter by the Spartans allowed the Pioneers to pull away late for the win.
Senior guard/forward Isabella Mills led the team with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals, and a pair of blocks. Sophomore guard Lucy Vanderbeck came off the bench to score 10 points for CWRU, connecting on three three-point shots on five attempts.
Down 31-28 with under three minutes left in the first half, the Spartans ended the period on an 11-2 run, keyed by a four-point play from Vanderbeck with 1:14 to play, and a second three by Vanderbeck with 55 seconds left that gave CWRU its largest lead of the game, 39-33. The Spartans remained in front until a three by Marietta's Paige Tolston gave the Pioneers a 48-47 lead with 27 seconds remaining in the third, but junior forward Kayla Characklis notched a putback basket at the buzzer to put the team back in front 49-48 heading into the final quarter.
However, the Spartans could not find their shot over the final 10 minutes of the game, as Marietta was able to take the lead. Free throws by Mills and junior guard Sarah Mitchell helped CWRU get back within four points with 2:19 to go, 58-54, but that would be as close as the Spartans would get down the stretch.
CWRU will look to bounce back on Saturday, November 26 when the Spartans play host to Allegheny College at Horsburgh Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
