It’s almost strange how similar the AU men’s and women’s basketball teams are this season. Like the men, the women are sitting just outside of the top six in the conference with eight games remaining on the schedule, and the upcoming slate of games are critical for their postseason hopes. Last week AU lost two games to Hanover and Transylvania, two of the conference’s better teams. This week the Ravens will play Defiance and Earlham, two teams that they lost to earlier in the year by five points each.
On Wednesday night against Hanover, the Ravens lost by a score of 86-67 despite a season-high in scoring from Jenna Wittenberg who had 21. Amy Wuestefeld compiled quite a stat line with 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nyomi Defiel had 10 points and seven boards while Melissa Stachovic and Hannah Wickard chipped in nine and eight respectively. It was a balanced effort for the Ravens, but Hanover was too much in the end. The Panthers shot 45 percent from the field and that proved to be the difference. At 9-1, the Panthers are tied for first in the HCAC and are riding a seven game winning streak at the moment.
AU enjoyed their best scoring game of the season against Transylvania on Saturday by dropping 72. However, they also gave up 80, which is the second highest total they have allowed this season. Once again, it was a balanced effort for the Ravens as four players scored in double figures, but 21 turnovers was the Achilles’ heel. Morgan Whitehair contributed 10 points and four rebounds in only 11 minutes of play. Kate Barwick led the Ravens with 19 while Amy Wuestefeld had 14 and Hannah Wickard added 11.
The Ravens enjoy balanced scoring, but finding consistent offense and getting defensive stops will be the name of the game going forward. Four of their next five are on the road, which complicates things even more, but AU is only a few wins away from putting themselves in a position to qualify for the conference tournament.
