Women's Basketball: Fourth quarter surge lifts No. 25 Ohio Northern over Bethany

BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bethany College women's basketball team battled with No. 25 ranked Ohio Northern for the first three quarters before the Polar Bears used a 27-7 fourth quarter to defeat the Bison, 76-55 in day two of the Bluffton Tournament.   

GAME FLOW

• The Polar Bears took an early 8-0 lead and held the Bison scoreless until the 4:15 mark of the opening quarter. Alyssa Serensky lifted the lid for the Bison with a shot from behind the arc. In the next possession, Fran Mulas hit a three to cut the deficit, 8-6. Mulas hit another shot from behind the arc, cutting the lead to one, 10-9. A Serensky three-pointer knotted the game at 12-12 with 2:07 to go in the first stanza.
• Ohio Northern went on 9-2 run to close out the first quarter. The Polar Bears led 21-14.
• In the second quarter, the Bison battled back with Ashleigh Wheeler hitting back-to-back threes, with the Bison trailing 25-22. Alyssa Serensky cut the lead to two, 27-25, after hitting a shot from behind the arc.
• With 5:05 left in the half, Serensky knotted the game at 27-27. The Polar Bears extend the lead back up, but the Bison stampeded back to deadlock the game at 32-32. The Polar Bears hit a three to take a 35-32 lead into the halftime break.
• In the third quarter, the Bison and Polar Bears battled back and forth. The Bison took a 40-39 lead after a Wheeler three. Both teams exchanged the lead over the course of the third. The Polar Bears held on to lead 53-48 heading into the final quarter of play.
• The fourth quarter was all Ohio Northern as they ballooned their lead to as many as 22. The Bison were held to just seven points.

IN THE BOX SCORE

• Alyssa Serensky led all scorers with 18 points. She shot 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-9 from behind the arc. She pulled in two rebounds.
• Ashleigh Wheeler had 14 points with four three-pointers.
• Francesca Mulas had 11 points.
• Makenzee Mason had a team-high six rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Ohio Northern shot 46.2% (30-65) while Bethany shot 40.8% (20-49).
• The Bison hit 50.0% of their shots from behind the arc. The Bison had 12 three's while holding the Polar Bears to 30.0% (6-20).
• The Bison struggled from the foul line, shooting 37.5% (3-8).
• The Polar Bears edged the Bison on the boards, 36-31 and scored 12 second chance points.

RECORDS

Bethany College – 2-10 (2-5 PAC)

No. 25 Ohio Northern – 10-1 (4-0 OAC)

UP NEXT

Bethany return to PAC play on Tuesday, Jan. 3 against Franciscan University for a 6 pm tipoff in Steubenville, Ohio.