Oberlin College never stood a chance against the undefeated Tigers.
The women's basketball team dropped the Yeowomen 71-46 to maintain their pristine 23-0, 14-0 record. The team donned their pink uniforms this week to raise money for breast cancer awareness in front of one of the largest crowds of the season. Oberlin fell to 8-16 (3-12) on the season,
"Even though the game was close at the beginning, Coach Huffman made the right adjustments so that we could take off and get a good lead," junior Ali Ross said about the game's tight beginning.
The team really turned it around though, only allowing Oberlin to lead once and closing out the first half with a 41-24 lead.
At the beginning of the second half the Yeowomen charged for the lead, coming within 15 points of the Tigers' score. The team held it together though, scoring the next 13 points.
"I think we played with a lot of energy on Saturday," Ross said.
The team truly lived up to her description, with 11 players registering a point and 13 players getting at least one rebound. Head Coach Kris Huffman has been quoted saying, "Our balance and depth is still one of our strengths." The performance against Oberlin definitely proves this fact.
Ellie Pearson led the team in rebounds, collecting 11 points, marking her fifth double-digit performance this year. The team also showed an impressive defensive front. The team forced Oberlin into 19 turnovers and snagged 15 steals. Though Oberlin's Christina Marquette is the NCAC's second-leading scorer, the Tigers held her at four points below her average.
This makes for an impressive fourth-straight season in a row that the team has claimed at least 23 victories. The team is also boasting its eleventh straight week at the top of the Women's Div. III basketball rankings on d3hoops.com as well as remaining at the top according the USA Today's coaches poll.
"It is very exciting to be ranked number one and I think that the our team has handled the pressure well. There is a huge target on our back, which doesn't allow us to let up in any game," Ross said. "We have done a great job of preparing for each team as if we were playing a top ranked team. It's important we to make sure we don't get into a lull and stay energized for every game so that we can be ready for the tournament."
This week the team goes into the last of its regular season games and will play away at Wittenberg on Wednesday.