Hiram 62, Ohio Wesleyan 55

Freshman post LaNiece McRae (Youngstown/Chaney) had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the second half as Ohio Wesleyan pared a 19-point deficit to just 3, but Hiram withstood the Bishop rally and held on for a North Coast Athletic Conference win on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The win was Hiram's first over the Bishops since Jan. 15, 2000, snapping a 24-game losing streak to Ohio Wesleyan, and was the first ever for the Terriers at Branch Rickey Arena.

Hiram had taken a 48-29 lead on a 3-pointer by Chelsea Kovach with 11:40 left in regulation time, and still led, 50-33, after a pair of Tiffany Shields free throws with 9:19 to play.

McRae converted a 3-point play, and a pair of free throws by freshman guard Tavia Croom (Heath), a lay-in by freshman guard Sarah McQuade (Dublin/Coffman), and a 3-pointer from sophomore wing Julia Grimsley (Alliance) helped the Bishops close the gap to 52-43 with 6:27 left in regulation time.

Trailing, 56-46, with less than 4 minutes to go, the Bishops rallied behind free throws by McRae and McQuade, another McRae 3-point play, and a McQuade lay-in that brought Ohio Wesleyan within 56-53 with 1:25 to play.

After Kovach missed a pair of free throws for Hiram, the Bishops had a chance to pull even closer, but McQuade drove the left side of the lane and her lay-up did not fall, with Kovach clearing the rebound.  Kovahc hit a pair of free throws with :59 left to make it a 5-point game, and the Terriers were able to seal the game at the line, with Calysia Smyers sinking one free throw and Kelsey Durichko going 3-for-4 during the final seconds.

Ohio Wesleyan had built a 15-12 lead just past the midway point of the first half, but the Bishops would hit just one basket over the next 7-plus minutes of action.  Meanwhile, Hiram took the lead with baskets by Smyers, Kovach, Durichko, and Tiffany Shields, and a Smyers 3-pointer gave Hiram a 23-15 lead with 5:16 remaining.  The Terriers would close the half with a 6-0 run that saw Amy Geisman and Shields score before a buzzer-beater by Smyers gave Hiram a 33-22 lead at the break.

McRae led the Bishops with 13 points and 16 rebounds.  Freshman wing Caroline Welker (Delaware/Hayes) added 10 points and Croom collected a team-high 6 assists.

Kovach led Hiram with 20 points, and Shields recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

Box Score