BW Second Half Outburst Lifts Women’s Basketball Past Trinity (Conn.) in NCAA Tournament First Round

Per the BW communications team

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The Baldwin Wallace University women’s basketball team used a 37-point second half outburst to defeated Trinity (Conn.) University in a NCAA Division III Tournament game by a final score of 59-54 inside the Hawk Center on the campus of the State University of New York at New Paltz.

BW (21-6) advances to the second round and will face the winner of tonight’s second game between SUNY-New Paltz and Penn State University at Harrisburg on Saturday at 7:15. Trinity (19-8) ends its season.

The Yellow Jackets had three players score in double figures led by junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC guard Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial) as she scored 19 points and dished out a game-high tying five assists. Junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard/forward Caely Ressler (Napoleon) contributed 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior All-OAC forward Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg) recorded her career-high sixth double-double as she scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Bantams had two players score in double digits led by senior center Reilly Campbell as she scored a game-high 30 points.  Sophomore guard Theresa Twardosky chipped in 12 points.

1st Quarter (TU, 17-13)

• Trinity jumped out to a 6-2 lead on a layup by freshman guard Avery Marzo at the 7:01 mark
• BW took a 9-8 on when Ressler converted the traditional three-point play at 4:27
• The Bantams outscored the Yellow Jackets 9-4 down the stretch

2nd Quarter (TU, 32-22)

• BW tied the game at 17-17 on a layup by Vaillant at the 8:08 mark.
• Trinity with a responded with a 10-0 run to take a 27-17 lead when Marzo spilt a pair from the charity strip at 5:44
• Each team scored five points apiece the remainder of the quarter

3rd Quarter (TU, 42-38)

• The Yellow Jackets opened the second half on a 6-1 to cut the lead down to 33-28 on a three-pointer by Vaillant at the 8:00 mark
• BW took a 38-37 lead on a triple from senior guard Carolyn Wochele (Mentor) at 2:54
• The Bantams closed the quarter on a 5-1 run

4th Quarter (BW, 59-54)

• Trinity pushed its lead to 46-38 on a layup by Campbell at the 8:26 mark
• The Yellow Jackets cut the lead down to 49-46 when Irwin split a pair of free throws at 5:35
• BW tied the game at 51-51 on a Ressler three-pointer at the 1:46 mark
• The Yellow Jackets closed the game on an 8-3 run