Senior captain Jessie Oram nets a jumper over Hiram's Tania Carman during this evening's 57-54 NCAC win over the Terriers

Photo by Zach Pretzer

January 10, 2007 -- Led by junior Roneisha Kinney's 14 points and 15 rebounds, the Oberlin women's basketball team downed visiting Hiram College this evening, 57-54. The win improves the Yeowomen's record to 5-7 overall and 1-4 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, while the Terriers slip to 5-8 (1-4 NCAC).

Oberlin started off tonight's game hot, cruising to a 17-5 lead after a free throw from Kinney. Hiram responded by going on a 17-7 run of its own to make the score 24-22 in favor of the Yeowomen with 4:22 left in the opening period.

Entering the second half, the hosts led 30-24, and it wasn't until 3:12 remained in the contest that the Terriers claimed their first lead of the game, 52-50. A jumper and free throw from Kinney gave Oberlin the lead for good, though, at 53-52 with 1:58 left. Sophomore Alyssa Clark converted on a put-back layup with 56 seconds remaining to put the Yeowomen up 55-52, and a pair of free throws from Hiram's Cassie Bedard brought the visitors to within 54-55 just nine seconds later. The Terriers got the ball back with 12 second left after an Oberlin turnover, but the Yeowomen's defense held strong, forcing a Hiram turnover and putting senior captain Jessie Oram on the free throw line with only two seconds remaining. Oram netted both shots from the charity stripe to secure the 57-54 victory.

Clark joined Kinney in achieving a double-double by scoring 13 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, dishing out three assists, and picking up two steals. Oram led all scorers with 18 points and shot a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore point guard Kira Rivera did an excellent job handling the ball for Head Coach Christa Champion, as she passed for three assists and swiped four steals in 35 minutes of action. Additionally, first-year guard Monica Zell netted a pair of treys to score six points. Zell also snagged nine boards and collected three steals.

The Yeowomen out-rebounded the Terriers 48-37 to win the second-chance point advantage, 15-6, and also out-score Hiram in the paint, 22-12. The Oberlin defense held the visitors to just 29.5 percent shooting from the floor. Kinney's defensive play was the highlight of the night, as she held Hiram's Cassie Bedard, the NCAC's leading scorer, to just seven points on 2-11 shooting.

Tania Carman led the Terriers in scoring and rebounding with a 12-12 double-double, while Abbey Gorby and Stephanie Zunic both tallied 10 points. Brittany Mayle had a strong all-around game by scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, and recording game-highs of six assists and five steals.

"We just played great, inspired basketball this evening," Champion said. "However, we still have plenty of things we need to improve on, including controlling the tempo of the game and taking better care of the ball."

Added Champion, "To have two players with a double-double is tremendous. Roneisha was a star tonight in holding Bedard to just seven points."

Oberlin will return to action on Saturday when it welcomes Kenyon College to Philips Gymnasium for a 2:00 p.m. North Coast Athletic Conference match-up.

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