Karley Walker

The College of Wooster was handed its first blemish of the season on Wednesday evening, as Case Western Reserve University held the Fighting Scots to just 14.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half on its way to a 66-49 victory in northeast Ohio women's basketball action at Cleveland, Ohio.

Wooster (5-1) came out strong behind Karley Walker, as the senior guard scored eight of her game-high 19 points less than 10 minutes into the first half, capped off by a lay-up that pulled the Scots within three at 21-18.

It was at that juncture when Case Western Reserve (5-4) strung together a quick 8-0 scoring run, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Rachel Beaty, giving the Spartans a sudden 29-18 advantage.

Walker ended the dry spell with a 3-pointer of her own, one of five on the evening for her, which cut the deficit back to single-digits at 29-21, only to see the Spartans eventually work their way to a 17-point cushion (40-23) with about six minutes remaining in the first half.

The Scots responded, though, with a 9-2 scoring run, that was keyed by seven points from Sydney Grier, to draw within 10 at 42-32. Wooster inched even closer during the final moments of the half, with Sydney Failing's lay-up making it an eight-point game (45-37) at the break.

Case Western Reserve's defense came on abruptly in the second half, as it limited the Scots to just four field goals, which enabled it to pull away rather easily down the stretch.

For the second game in a row, Walker scored 19 points, this time on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including five baskets from behind the arc. The offense was mostly held in check otherwise, with Grier (10), Maura Hall (7), and Failing (6) rounding out the scoring leaders.

Also noteworthy, Hall pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, Suvi Puripattarapan recorded four steals, and Rachel Huxhold totaled four boards and three assists off the bench.

The Spartans were led by Beaty and Julie Mooney, who each chipped in 15.

Wooster has a tough challenge on tap, as it hosts the reigning NCAA Div. III champions, DePauw University (6-0), on Saturday at 1 p.m.