In between shooting hoops and traveling across Ohio this winter, the Oberlin College women’s basketball team had time for some fun while improving their hand-eye coordination.

“We have a couple of ping-pong addicts on the team so we had our first annual ping-pong tournament a couple days ago for fun,” said senior center and co-captain Jessie Oram.

Oram, the only senior on the women’s basketball team, summarized the month of January simply: “Okay...so we did play a lot of [basketball] games over Winter Term.”

The action began Jan. 5 in a conference game against Ohio Wesleyan University where Oberlin came up short, 55-86.

The day after falling to Ohio Wesleyan, the Yeowomen hosted the College of Wooster to take on the Fighting Scots in another NCAC battle.

Oram thought that this game was a good one “because we achieved some of our overarching team goals — good inside/outside play — and because we always have great competitive games against Wooster.”

Coming back from 22-30 during the first period, Oberlin managed to take the lead, 41-40, with just under nine minutes left in the game as they went on a 19-10 run.

Shooting well for the Yeowomen, sophomore Alyssa Clark scored 19 points and Oram contributed 14 points. Yet, the Fighting Scots held on, defeating Oberlin 61-51.

The OC women earned a win on Jan. 10 with a thrilling 57-54 win over the Hiram Terriers. Oram led the way in scoring with 18 points and sunk a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line, while Clark and junior Roneisha Kinney together contributed 27 points.

Both teams were neck and neck throughout the entire game, which required some clutch play in the final minutes. The Terriers put themselves in the lead with just over three minutes left in the game. Clark, with the pressure on, netted a lay-up with under a minute left in the second half, which put the score back in Oberlin’s favor, 55-52. And so the Yeowomen secured their first North Coast Athletic Conference win.

The Yeowomen continued their conference action, taking on the Kenyon Lords, Allegheny Gators and Earlham Quakers. They managed to play relatively close games but had no big breaks.

Oram said that towards the end of January the squad started realizing what they needed to work on.

The game against Wittenberg on Jan. 27 was a good learning opportunity for the younger players, as they were able to play some important minutes despite a disappointing loss. “We lost badly, but at the end of the game, many of our younger players played our zone defense and did really well, which is exciting for next year,” said Oram.

The team started February by traveling to Denison University. Despite Oberlin’s slow start, they had a relatively good shooting night. For starters, the Yeowomen shot 46.5 percent from the floor, compared to Wittenberg’s 44.6 percent. In addition, Oram had a game high 20 points, six rebounds and three steals.

First-years Alicia Smith and Monica Zell stepped up their game, while sophomores Rivera, Clark, January Baker and Mandi Van Allen also contributed points. Unfortunately, the Tigers clawed a win with a final score of 45-68.

The game against Denison University was memorable, Oram said, because “some things that we have been struggling with all season — playing well consistently, and playing with the intensity of a late-game situation all game — were made crystal clear.”

After trailing Denison by 30 points after the first half, the Yeowomen regained momentum, scoring 39 points in the second half while playing solid defense.

Clark and Oram each contributed 17 points, while Zell and sophomore Kira Rivera turned up their games contributing eight and nine points respectively.

“We came out playing really poorly, and then when down 24-5 went on a run that turned it into a competitive game,” Oram  said. The final score ended up 66-82. The Yeowomen will look to seek revenge against the Big Red when they travel to Denison University on Feb. 14.

The squad has been working hard focusing on their inside/outside game and rebounding, said Oram.

“We have a lot of size this year, and so we have been trying to improve the looks our posts get at the basket, and our posts’ ability to pass out of the paint to the open perimeter player,” said Oram.

The team wraps up its regular season on Feb. 17 with a home contest against Earlham College. They are currently 5-16 overall and 1-12 in the NCAC.