Ohio Northern rolls over Rochester (Mich.) 77-30 in season opener

Nov. 16, 2007

By Zach Stipe

HOLLAND, Mich. — Sparked by a 29-2 run to start the second half, the Ohio Northern women’s basketball team opened the season with a 77-30 victory over Rochester (Mich.) on Day 1 of the Hope (Mich.) Tip-Off Tournament on Friday at the DeVos Fieldhouse.

The Polar Bears improved to 1-0 and will play the winner of Friday’s later Hope (Mich.) and Oberlin match-up at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Warriors dropped to 1-5.

Senior Erin Brand scored a game-high 12 points to lead four Polar Bears in double figures. Junior Alisha Rinehart and senior Leah Zimmerman each scored 11 points, while senior Jenny Markle added 10 points.

Zimmerman led the team with six rebounds, while Brand had two blocks. Junior Emily Culbertson had six steals, while Markle had five swipes to lead a defense that forced the Warriors into committing 35 turnovers.

Holding a 35-20 halftime lead, ONU got off to a red hot start in the second half.

Culberston made a steal and fed Zimmerman for a 3-pointer to ignite the pivotal 29-2 run with 18:40 remaining in the game.

Zimmerman hit jumper and sank a free throw, Brand made a pair of shots and Rinehart scored a 2-pointer to turn a 15-point halftime lead into a 25-point advantage just seven minutes into the second half.

Senior Tara Butler capped the outstanding run with a jumper off an assist from Markle with 4:47 left in the game to give ONU a 64-22 edge.

Rochester didn’t make their second basket of the half until 3:30 left in the game when Ashley Cooper hit a jump shot.

The Warriors held an early lead over the Polar Bears in the first half.

Five minutes into the game, Jessica Crook nailed a 3-pointer to give the Warriors an 8-4 lead.

Northern quickly erased that deficit, though, and went on an 18-2 run over the next eight minutes. The run was capped by a jumper by freshman Lawren Neely to give ONU a commanding 22-10 lead with 6:40 left in the first half.

ONU converted 16 of 29 shot attempts to shoot 55-percent in the second half, while holding Rochester to just three makes in 18 attempts for 16-percent shooting after halftime.