Lady Quakers fall from OAC lead with loss

Tara Rausch scored 19 in the 10-point loss

[Box Score]

(WC Press Release) Wilmington, Ohio (February 18, 2004) -- The Wilmington College Lady Quaker basketball team fell to fourth in the OAC with a 79-69 loss to Otterbein College on Wednesday evening.

Tara Rausch (Marysville/Fairbanks) led the way for the Green and White with 19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Lady Quakers scored first in the game when Siobhan Zerilla (Cincinnati/Mercy) scored the first of her 10 points before Otterbein scored the next two baskets. The game went back and forth for the majority of the half, with the game being tied at 11-11, the fifth tie at the time. Otterbein then opened a 16-6 run, taking a 10-point lead with 6:06 to play in the half. The Green and White cut the deficit to three, two minutes later, but a 7-0 run brought the Cardinal lead to double figures once again. The Quakers ended the scoring with a 5-0 run to end the half, including a Sam Hood (Lockbourne/Teays Valley) half-court shot at the buzzer, cutting the halftime deficit to four.

The Lady Quakers started the second half on a slump, getting outscored 12-3 to start the second period. The Otterbein lead grew to as many as 19 before the Lady Quakers clawed their way back and cut the deficit to 10 by the final buzzer.

Rausch led the Lady Quakers with 19 points while Hood scored 14, Brittney Morris (Hammersville/Bethel-Tate) scored 11 and Zerilla chipped in 10. Rausch pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds as Zerilla pulled down 11 in the loss. Rausch dished out five assists while Amy Kincer (Englewood/Northmon) gave out four scores.

Otterbein was led by Diana Esterkamp, who scored a game-high 25 points while pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out seven assists and grabbing six steals. Abbey Perez scored 15 points while Danielle Holbrook and Jenna Brader scored 12 and 11 respectively.

With the loss, the Lady Quakers fall to 17-6 on the season and 13-4 in the OAC while Otterbein improves to 21-3 overall and 14-3 in league play.

The next game for the Green and White is on Saturday, February 21 when the team plays host to the Student Princes of Heidelberg College with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.