TIFFIN, Ohio—The Heidelberg University women’s basketball team will begin the final week of the 2011-12 regular season Wednesday, Feb. 15 when it faces Otterbein University in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in Westerville, Ohio. Tip-off from the Rike Center is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Live stats for the game will be available http://www.sidearmstats.com/otterbein/wbball/xlive.htm.
Heidelberg (4-19, 1-15 OAC) is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak following an 86-69 loss Saturday at Marietta College. Sophomore guard Kathleen Phillips (Sandusky/St. Mary’s) recorded her first career double-double against the Pioneers, scoring a game-high 22 points and pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Paige Ricketts (Mineral City/Tusky Valley) added 10 tallies of her own.
Fourth-year head coach Marcie Alberts will likely run a five-guard set with Phillips and sophomores Megan Miller (Tiffin/Columbian) and Emily Giel (Burton/Burkshire), junior Jordan Ickes (Wooster/Triway) and senior Jazmine Shaw (Columbus/Hamilton Township). Phillips scores an OAC-best 18.8 points per game and pulls down 4.0 rpg., is third in the conference with an 84.6 (110-of-130) free throw percentage and is tied for fourth with 50 steals. Miller averages 8.6 ppg. and leads the team with 4.7 rpg. Giel scores 7.3 ppg., is tied for the team lead with 34 assists, and is ninth in the league with a 32.2 (39-of-121) three point shooting percentage. Ickes scores 6.2 ppg., is tied for the team lead with 34 assists and shoots 34.8 (55-of-158) from the field. Shaw averages 2.8 ppg. and 3.1 rpg.
The Berg scores 31.3 ppg., pulls down 37.0 rpg., shoots 34.3 percent overall and is third in the league with 126 three pointers.
Otterbein (17-6, 11-5 OAC) has won three straight games and four of its last five following a 75-49 win Saturday over Muskingum University. Shea McCoy tallied a game-high 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Chelsea Cannon scored 20 points of her own. Tabatha Piper (11), Kristi Kotterman (11) and Hannah Day (10) each recorded double-digit rebounds.
Connie Richardson, in her 21st season at Otterbein will likely start Kotterman, McCoy and Allie Leopard at the guard positions and Piper and Cannon in the post. Kotterman is sixth in the OAC in scoring (14.4 ppg.) and eighth in rebounding (6.6 rpg.). is fifth with a 37.5 (39-of-96) three point shooting percentage and eighth with a 75.9 (82-of-108) free throw shooting percentage, and third with 54 steals. McCoy scores 11.7 ppg., shoots 43.3 (109-of-252) percent from the field and has passed for 53 assists. Piper tallies 7.1 ppg. and 5.7 rpg., shoots 39.5 (60-of-152) percent from the floor and is sixth in the conference with 21 blocks. Cannon averages 6.7 ppg. and 3.9 rpg. and shoots 50.9 (59-of-116) percent overall. Leopard averages 3.8 ppg. and has passed for a team-high 77 assists.
The Cardinals rank in the top four of the OAC in scoring (67.6 ppg.), rebounding (41.8 rpg.), shooting percentage (41.1), three point shooting (36.3) and steals (9.9 steals per game).
Otterbein is 7-3 against Heidelberg in the series’ last 10 meetings, including four straight wins. In the last game between the two teams, a 90-56 Cardinal win on Jan. 11 in Tiffin, freshmen guard Erika Jordan (Bellevue) and Ricketts each recorded season highs with 14 points and 10 points, respectively. Phillips scored nine and tallied a team-high five caroms. Five Cardinals—led by Hannah Day’s game-high 18 points—scored in double figures, including 12 each from Kotterman, McCoy and Rachel Snedegar, and 10 from Piper. Day and Kotterman grabbed a game-high six rebounds.
Following Wednesday’s contest, Heidelberg will close its season Saturday, Feb. 18 at the University of Mount Union at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on a delay basis by WIVM Ch. 52 in Canton and SportsTime Ohio. The game will showed on both channels on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and on WIVM on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.
Probable Starters: Otterbein (17-6, 11-5 OAC)
Name—GP-GS—Key Stats
Kristi Kotterman—23-23—14.4 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 40.7 FG%, 75.9 FT%
Shea McCoy—23-23—11.7 ppg., 43.4 FG%, 53 ast.
Allie Leopard—23-23—3.8 ppg., 77 ast.
Tabatha Piper—23-21—7.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 39.5 FG%, 21 blk.
Chelsea Cannon—23-23—6.7 ppg., 50.9 FG%
Probable Starters: Heidelberg (4-19, 1-15 OAC)
Name—GP-GS—Key Stats
Jordan Ickes—23-23—6.2 ppg., 34.8 FG%, 34 ast.
Emily Giel—23-23—7.3 ppg., 32.2 3FG%, 34 ast.
Kathleen Phillips—22-21—18.8 ppg., 37.6 FG%, 84.6 FT%, 50 stl.
Jazmine Shaw—23-13—2.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg.
Megan Miller—23-23—8.6 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 23 stl.