Ohio Wesleyan 68, Thomas More 56

Jan. 4, 2005

Senior guard Celina Dopoulos (Strongsville) scored 5 points in the final 90 seconds of regulation time to help Ohio Wesleyan withstand a Thomas More comeback and defeat the Saints in non-conference action on Tuesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Ohio Wesleyan had threatened to ice the game midway through the second half, as the Bishops went on 12-3 run to stretch a 45-39 Ohio Wesleyan lead to a 57-42 edge with 7:41 left in regulation time. Dopoulos kicked off the run with a hoop, and senior post Erica Brizendine (Grove City) added another before senior wing Kelly Heil (Sylvania/Southview) scored twice, junior guard Julie Schlenkerman (Lakewood) added a bucket and sophomore guard Emily Lloyd (Canton/Massillon Jackson) buried a pair of free throws.

Thomas More chipped away at the deficit, getting a pair of lay-ins and a pair of free throws by Megan Wood to close to within 57-48, then adding an Allison Byars free throw and an Amanda Link jumper to make it a 57-51 game with 4:10 to play.

Byars sank a 3-pointer to bring the Saints within 61-56 with 1:42 to go, but Dopoulos answered with a lay-in at 1:21, and after a Thomas More turnover, sophomore post Tifini Ray (Hilliard/Davidson) hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to 65-56 with 1:02 left.

Dopoulos hit one of 2 from the line after a Saint turnover, and after a missed Thomas More shot, added a basket in the closing seconds to account for the 68-56 final.

Thomas More had taken an early 16-10 lead, getting 3-pointers by Byars and Kristen Humphrey to highlight an 8-2 spurt that broke an 8-8 tie.

The Saints still led, 21-18, with less than 7 minutes to play in the first half before the Bishops came back.

Brizendine and Heil hit lay-ins, the latter putting Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and Heil followed with a jumper for a 24-21 Bishop lead. Thomas More closed to within 24-22 on a Lindsay Bray free throw, but the Bishops got 2 more baskets from Heil and a 3-point play by senior post Shelby Larson (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Heil and Brizendine shared the Ohio Wesleyan team lead with 18 points apiece. Brizendine grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and Lloyd led the Bishops with 4 assists.

Wood led the Saints with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Byars added 11 points and Amanda Link scored 10 points. Carrie Clift led Thomas More with 4 assists.

Prior to the game, Ohio Wesleyan athletics director Roger Ingles and head coach Nan Carney-DeBord presented Heil with the game ball from the Bishops' Dec. 17, 2004, win over Anderson. In that game, Heil scored 33 points and became Ohio Wesleyan's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball.

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