Lady Jackets Youth Lead the Way in 78-52 Win Over Ohio Valley

By Abigail Hintz

The Lady Jackets (14-3, 7-3 G-MAC) began their four-game G-MAC homestand on Saturday night with a 78-52 win over the Ohio Valley Fighting Scots (2-13, 1-10 G-MAC).

Head coach Kari Hoffman said, “We knew it would be a tough game. [Ohio Valley has] been in so many games that they’ve played in. They haven’t been on the winning side of many of them, but we knew they’d come in here and give us a good game and they did that. I was really pleased just with the overall team effort.”

Every player saw minutes in the win, aside from sophomore guard Emily Chapman who was sidelined with an injury.

Freshman guard Isabelle Bolender said, “Definitely a big blow not having [Chapman], she’s an excellent player, excellent point guard. But a lot of girls stepped up and were able to fill that role, and I was proud of how our team responded with her absence.

Bolender and freshman guard Paige Garr led their team with 15 points a piece – Garr’s career high. Bolender shot 8-11 while Garr shot 7-14. Garr also led in rebounds with seven. Sophomore forward Alli Roh also hit double digits with ten points. Reigning G-MAC player of the week Ashlyn Huffman led in assists with eight and contributed nine points on 4-8 shooting.

The team that is known for their 3-point shooting tied their opponent with 5-18 shooting from deep. They average 8.9 a game.

The Jackets opened with their traditional high intensity play. They went up 8-2 early despite allowing the first points. Cedarville uncharacteristically did not hit a 3-point shot until senior guard Anna DeFilippo put one down with 20 seconds to play in the first quarter. It was their first of five attempts and put them up 21-11 heading into the second quarter. 

Bolender dominated the second quarter, adding eight points in just a little over three minutes. She was shooting 100% on 6 attempts until just a minute and a half before halftime when she missed a 3-pointer. 

Cedarville hit a lull late in the second quarter, allowing OVU to go on a six point run, before Wolford ended it with 47 seconds to play. The Jackets won the quarter just 14-13, going into halftime up 35-24. They took only four points in the last six minutes and 40 seconds. Bolender was the clear leader with 12 points, followed by three players with four points a piece.

Sophomore forward Lexi Moore opened the scoring in the second half with a big 3-point play that gave her team some momentum. She took her team to 40 with a jumper soon after. The two teams were back-and-forth throughout the half, though it was much higher-scoring. The Jackets were up 56-40 at the end of the third quarter. Garr took six of her fifteen in the third. 

Sophomore forward Alli Roh went on a six-point run early in the fourth quarter, taking the Jackets to 64-42 with a little under eight minutes to play. She ended up adding eight points to her total in the fourth quarter, before being subbed out after her third foul. Garr added five points in the last quarter, taking her to her career-high of fifteen points. The Jackets finished the quarter with three of the four freshmen on the court, taking the Jackets to 78-52.

“It was a complete team effort,” said Bolender. “Just from the defensive end, guarding inside and out. Offensively we weren’t hitting the threes as much, but luckily we were able to drive in the lane.”

The Jackets continue their four-game homestand on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they take on Trevecca (7-12, 4-6 G-MAC). The Trojans are 1-8 on the road.

Abigail Hintz is a sophomore journalism major and Digital Editor for Cedars. She loves reading, playing Spikeball with her friends and watching soccer 24/7.